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Google is sending Android 11 updates to some Pixel 4 owners early

It features a new media player in Quick Settings, among other tweaks.

Mountain View, Ca/USA December 29, 2016: Googleplex - Google Headquarters with Android figure
SpVVK via Getty Images

Google seems to have given select users access to a beta version of Android 11 even though it canceled the mobile platform’s beta launch on June 3rd. According to XDA Developers’ Mishaal Rahman, some users received an OTA update for the OS on their Pixel 4 devices on the same day (as Droid Life notes) the Android 10 security patch for June came out. Rahman listed some of the features that dropped with the accidental release, including the media player users can display in and control from Android’s Quick Settings menu.

Mishaal Rahman@MishaalRahman

Here’s a running thread of everything new that we’re finding in Android 11 Beta 1.

Mishaal Rahman@MishaalRahman
 

Remember the wild media player in Quick Settings experiment we found in DP1? https://www.xda-developers.com/android-11-music-player-quick-settings-panel/ 

It’s live in Beta 1 as a Developer Option called “media resumption.”

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Users are also getting three new icon shape choices and the option to get app suggestions on the bottom row of their Home screen.

Mishaal Rahman@MishaalRahman

Several new icon shape overlays:

IconShapeVessel
IconShapeTaperedRect
IconShapePebble

Mishaal Rahman@MishaalRahman
 

Screenshots of these 3 icon shapes

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Mishaal Rahman@MishaalRahman

New options to control app suggestions in the Pixel Launcher

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Mishaal Rahman@MishaalRahman
 

Onboarding/tutorial messages for the feature.

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They’ll now also be able to access controls for connected devices by holding the Power button, provided they switch on the option in Settings.

Mishaal Rahman@MishaalRahman

This is the new “power menu” settings in Android 11. This will control the cards & passes and Controls feature that I tweeted about earlier today.

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Mishaal Rahman@MishaalRahman
 

Here’s the animation that plays on that page

Embedded video

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If they choose to, they can also enable bubble notifications under a new menu, which allows conversation alerts to show up as floating icons on top of other apps.

Mishaal Rahman@MishaalRahman

New submenu for enabling Bubble notifications. Settings > Apps & Notifications > Notifications > Bubbles.

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Mishaal Rahman@MishaalRahman
 

Here’s the animation that plays on that page.

Embedded video

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Unfortunately, the rollout seems to be unplanned, so those who haven’t gotten it will probably have to wait until the beta’s official release. Google doesn’t have a new date for its rollout yet, though: when the tech giant canceled its June 3rd launch event, it only said that it will be back with more details on Android 11 “soon.”

See Campaign: https://www.xda-developers.com/
Contact Information:
Mariella Moon

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Contact Information:

Mariella Moon

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