Android 11: Everything You Need To Know
So, Android 11 is finally released, which is the newest android version and is available on the latest compatible phone. As usual, there are a lot of exciting features in the new android update.

We tested Android’s latest update on google’s pixel, and we found some of the cool features which we would love to share with you. Let’s dig in!
PIXEL LAUNCHER:
Pixel launcher has always been our favorite. The home screen and the apps drawer stills feel like the old one except for the addition of smooth animation, but there’s a change in the auto rotation. Whenever you horizontally hold the phone, the interface changes to the one like that of a tablet, as shown in the picture above.
This feature of auto-rotation is automatically turned on. It’s cool, but most of the people don’t like using the phone horizontally.
BOTTOM ROW OF APPS:
There’s an addition of a bottom row of apps. This feature learns your behavior with the apps and shows a row of apps with which you interacted recently or mostly. You can also pin a suggested app in the bottom row if you think it should always be there.
It also allows you to block a specific app from showing up in the bottom row. In the app drawer, there’s a row of apps on the top which has the same features.
APP SWITCHER:
The app switcher is still like the one in the old version. It shows huge cards of apps, but there’s an addition of some of the options which appear while switching apps.
- App screenshot button
- Share button
- Select text button
Select the text button allows you to select and copy the text within the app.
WALLPAPER ANIMATIONS:
Yeah, that’s new in the latest android OS. By wallpaper animations, we mean that when you pull down the notification bar, the wallpaper slightly shifts, and in the same way, it also shifts when you pull up the app drawer. It satisfies you as it is super delicate.
MEDIA CONTROLS:
The new Android update on pixel 4 has new media controls in the notification bar, which is not turned on by default. The reason for this feature not turned on by default can be: that’s it is a bit buggy and may be incomplete. You can enable this feature from the developer settings.
We call it the mini-player as we can play/pause the music and change the music in significantly less time. Iphone quick settings section already had this feature.
VOICE ACCESS:
Now, you can control the mobile with your voice! Yes, this is an exciting feature. You can voice access app from the google play store. You just have to say the name of the app or action, and it will act accordingly. Here is an example:
- Open Twitter
- Tweet
- “We are testing android 11 on pixel 4.”
- Delete all text
- Go back
NOTIFICATIONS
The notifications in Android 11 are separated into three separate categories.
- Conversations
- Alerting notifications
- Silent notifications
The conversation section shows the notifications from messaging apps like Whatsapp or Messenger. Alerts section shows regular notifications while the silent notification section shows the notifications that are happening in the background.
CONCLUSION
There are many new tiny features in the Android newest update, which is called Android 11. Chat heads are also introduced for messaging apps. You can enable chat heads from the settings of the phone. The animation of the screen turning off and on is super good. Our favourite feature of this update was media controls. Tell us yours in the comment section!