What is Android 11?

Having only released its last iteration in Android 10 back in September 2019, Google is already out with Android 11. The Mountain View giant announced the release of the first developer preview for Android 11 in February itself, marking this the earliest preview release of any Android version.

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September 09, 2020: After months of hype, Google has finally pushed out the stable Android 11 to its line of supported devices. As expected, the original Pixel — Pixel 1 — sits this one out, as the device has reached the end of its update cycle. Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, and Pixel 4a will receive the update in a staged manner.

Few other manufacturers, such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, and RealMe have also started rolling out Android to some of their flagship devices. However, none of them have yet released the stable, final build. All the updates are still in Open Beta 1.

July 08, 2020: Encouraged by the success of the first beta, Google has started rolling out the second Android 11 beta for the public. The second beta brings the improved media player to the fore, meaning that users won’t have to go to Developer Options to see the new media player in action. There are noticeable improvements in the Sharing Sheet and Screen recording.

June 10, 2020: A month after releasing Android 11 DP4, Google has started rolling out the first public beta of Android 11. The beta has kept all the improvements we spotted in Developer Preview 4 and added improved media control just under the Quick Settings. The update is currently available for all active Pixel devices — Pixel 2 and above.

May 06, 2020: We have just received the latest installment in the line of Android 11 developer previews which is the DP4. Android 11 DP4 comes with tons of improvements including better stability, battery life, and improved privacy and security. It also brings fixes to the location icon showing up in the status bar even when it was not being accessed by an application.

Moreover, the status bar icons will not be cut off by device edges which were a known issue in previous builds. Known issues of this build include the inability to set up face unlock on devices that were previously on Android 11 DP3 or DP2 and were reverted back to Android 10. A fix is expected in the next coming build which should come in the month of July according to the Android 11 roadmap. 

April 23, 2020: Within weeks of rolling out DP 2.1, Google is seeding the Android 11 Developer Preview 3, which is expected to be the last Developer Preview before the Mountain View giant pushes the first Android 11 Beta next month. The latest build is available developers on the Pixel 2/XL, Pixel 3/XL, Pixel 3a/XL, and Pixel 4/XL devices. The releases includes a couple of developer-reported issues and changes related to app compatibility.

April 2, 2020: At the start of April, Google started rolling out Android 11 Developer Preview 2.1 to developers using the Pixel 2/XL, Pixel 3/XL, Pixel 3a/XL, and Pixel 4/XL devices. The preview comes as a minor update over the Developer Preview 2 with fixes to general issues, Settings, and Wear OS apps.

March 18, 2020: A month after releasing the first Developer Preview for Android 11, Google has released the second iteration. As usual, Developer Preview 2 is currently available for Pixel 2/XL, Pixel 3/XL, Pixel 3a/XL, and Pixel 4/XL. Google has clarified that users who are already on Developer preview 1 or 1.1 will receive this update over the air.

As the name suggests, Developer Previews are only for developers and super enthusiasts. So, unless you have a spare phone to use, it’s advisable to steer clear of these releases.

What is Android 11?

Android 11 is the next major update available on Android smartphones — the successor to last year’s Android 10. Google released the first developer preview for Android 11 on February 19th. After four Developer Previews and three Open Betas, Google rolled out the stable build on September 9th, 2020.

Android 11 comes with chat bubbles for apps, one-time permissions, native screen recording, silent notifications when using the camera, app-pinning in the share menu, scoped storage, and more levels of biometric security. The latest version of Android is also preparing for the mass transition to 5G, offering more compatibility to punch-hole and teardrop displays, and bringing improvements to messaging.

When will Android 11 beta release?

Google released the first beta on June 10, 2020, after four rounds of Developer Previews. The first beta came with all the top features of Developer Previews, improving upon some key areas.

A month after releasing Beta 1, Google rolled out the second Beta, on July 8th, 2020. The update didn’t introduce anything groundbreaking but was a welcoming change nonetheless. Beta 3 was released a few weeks later, refining the changes we’d already seen in the first two betas.

Finally, on September 9th, Google starting rolling out the stable build to Pixel 2 and above devices in a staged manner.

Which devices have Android 11 right now?

Android 11 is currently available on all Pixel phones except for original Pixel and Pixel XL devices. This includes the Pixel 4a, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL.

Unfortunately, the Essential Phone will no longer receive the latest Android update since the company ceased operations earlier this month and confirmed that the Essential Phone will no longer receive future updates. We can expect future developer previews to arrive in devices from other manufacturers as Google did during the launch of Android 9 and Android 10.

How to install Android 11 on Pixel?

Since the package has already released, you would receive the same in the coming weeks. However, if you aren’t prepared to wait for that long, you can check out our Android 11 installation guide and see how to sideload Android 11 on your Pixel device.

Android 11 Open Beta has been rolled out to Xiaomi and OnePlus. Check out our Android 11 beta guide to learn more about the installation of the same.

Will my device get Android 11?

Here’s a list of eligible devices that will get Android 11. While this list might be incomplete at the time of writing, we’ll ensure updating the content when Android 11 gets announced for a particular device.

Note: Besides Google, no OEM has made an official announcement regarding the rollout of Android 11 on their devices. The following list of devices is what we expect will get updates to Android based on the age of the device and the brand history in terms of software release.

Google

Google has revealed which of its devices will be the first to receive Android 11 with the exception of the OG Pixel and Pixel XL. The following list of devices will get Android 11 through an OTA update. We’ve included the OTA download links for your convenience.

Samsung

So as far as the Android 11 update goes, the Galaxy Note 20 duo, S20 series, and Galaxy Z Fold 2 will all receive the latest Android version firsthand.

This will then be followed by last year’s S10, Galaxy Z Fold, and Note 10 devices that will be next in line for the Android 11 update. Upper-midrange devices, S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite, are also expected to get the update sooner than later.

Considering Samsung’s history, the S9 and Note 9 will no longer will eligible for an update to the next version of Android.

  • Galaxy Note 20, Note 20 Ultra
  • Galaxy Z Fold 2
  • Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, S20 Ultra
  • Galaxy Z Flip
  • Galaxy Note 10, Note 10 Plus
  • Galaxy S10, S10 Plus
  • Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy Note 10 Lite

OnePlus

When Android 10 was released, the OnePlus 7T was the first device to come with Android 10 pre-installed. We can thus expect one of the company’s upcoming devices to continue the tradition this year when a stable Android 11 update is released. While the upcoming OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8T series will be served with an update firsthand, OnePlus’ older devices will also get Android 11.

Currently, OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro have been blessed with the first OxygenOS 11 Open Beta.

Here is a list of OnePlus phones expected to receive Android 11:

LG

LG is expected to launch the next generation V-series and G-series flagships this year with the launch of the V60 ThinQ and G9 ThinQ smartphones. These devices could be the first to get the Android 11 update but the update could also roll out to its older devices. Here’s a list of LG phones expected to get Android 11:

  • LG G9 ThinQ
  • LG V60 ThinQ
  • LG V50S ThinQ 5G
  • LG V50 ThinQ 5G
  • LG G8X ThinQ
  • LG G8 ThinQ
  • LG G8S ThinQ

Xiaomi

Chinese giant Xiaomi announced the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro flagship devices alongside the Poco X2 recently. Xiaomi has started rolling out Android 11-based MIUI 12 Open Beta to Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, and Poco F2 Pro/Redmi K30 Pro. We can expect the following list of devices to receive Android 11 when the update is ready:

  • Mi 10 5G and Mi 10 Pro 5G
  • Poco F2 Pro/Redmi K30 Pro
  • Poco X2
  • Redmi K30
  • Mi Note 10 and Note 10 Pro
  • Mi 9, Mi 9 SE, and Mi 9T
  • Mi A3
  • Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro
  • Mi Mix 3 and Mix 3 5G

Huawei

With no end in sight its spat with the US, Huawei could lose out on the Android 11 hype train. But since its recent devices including the Nova 7i, Y6s, MatePad Pro, and Nova 6 SE run on Android 10-based EMUI 10, we can expect an update to Android 11 coming out for its smartphones, albeit later than the ones from other OEMs. The following list of Huawei phones could get an update to Android 11:

  • Huawei P40 and P40 Pro (rumored)
  • Huawei Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro (rumored)
  • Huawei P30 and P30 Pro
  • Huawei Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro
  • Huawei MatePad Pro

Motorola

Here’s a list of Motorola phones that can be expected to be upgraded to Android 11.

  • Moto Razr 5G
  • Moto G Power
  • Moto G8 Plus
  • Moto G Stylus
  • Moto Razr 2019

Nokia

These Nokia smartphones could be the firsts to get updates to Android 11 when it’s ready.

  • Nokia 7.2
  • Nokia 6.2
  • Nokia 9 PureView

Asus

Here’s a list of Asus devices that can be expected to be upgraded to Android 11:

  • ROG Phone III
  • ROG Phone II
  • Asus Zenfone 7 and 7 Pro
  • Asus ZenFone 6

Sony

The following list of Sony phones could get an update to Android 11:

  • Xperia 1.1 (rumored)
  • Xperia 5 Plus (rumored)
  • Xperia 1
  • Xperia 5

Oppo

When Android 10 released, Reno and Reno 10x zoom were the first Oppo devices to get the update. Since then, Oppo has launched newer devices with Android 10 update and we can assume that the following phones will get an update to Android 11:

  • X2
  • Reno3
  • Reno3 Pro 5G
  • Reno Ace

Vivo

The following phones from Viva can be expected to get an update to Android 11:

  • NEX 3
  • X27
  • iQOO Neo 855 Racing, iQOO Neo 855, iQOO Pro, iQOO Pro 5G
  • X30 and X30 Pro

ZTE

Here’s a list of ZTE devices that can be expected to be upgraded to Android 11:

  • Axon 10s Pro 5G
  • Nubia Red Magic 3s
  • Axon 10 Pro and 10 Pro 5G

Stay tuned to this space for the latest news regarding Android 11 and the device that will get it.

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Ajaay

Ambivalent, unprecedented, and on the run from everyone's idea of reality. A consonance of love for filter coffee, cold weather, Arsenal, AC/DC, and Sinatra.