Google today pushed the latest Android 11 Developer Preview 2 developer preview update.
Earlier this month, after Google first released the unexpected Developer Preview 1.1 patch, Android 11 Developer Preview 2 is official “an incremental update with additional features, APIs, and behavior changes.” Google continues to gather feedback and recommends that developers “begin early application compatibility testing” as they want more time to adapt.
Here are the updates for Android 11 Developer Preview 2:
On the user-facing side, Android 11 DP2 introduces a synchronous IME input method transition so that the keyboard and system bar stay in sync with the application content. This will make it easier for developers to create “natural, intuitive and non-redundant IME transformations.” There are two examples to illustrate how:
Apps and games can now set their preferred refresh rate based on new devices such as the Pixel 4 (90Hz) and Galaxy S20 (120Hz).
With ” Resume on restart “, applications can resume normal functionality immediately after a restart and receive messages immediately without the user having to enter a password first. This is useful because you can schedule when the device restarts to complete the OTA.
Other changes include:
- DP2 adds a 5G status API that allows you to quickly check whether the user is currently on a new 5G wireless or NSA network. You can use it to highlight the 5G experience or brand that was applied when establishing a connection with the user.
- The number one requirement for foldable devices is an API to get the screen angle of the device. Android 11 now supports a hinge angle sensor, which allows applications to query the exact hinge angle directly or through the new AndroidX API, creating an adaptive experience for foldable products.
- To help users manage automated calls, Google has added new APIs so that call screening applications can do more to help users. In addition to verifying the STIR / SHAKEN status of an incoming call (a standard to prevent caller ID spoofing) as part of its call details, the call screening app can also report the reason for the call rejection and get permission, and they can see if the call is directed to From the number in the user contact.
- Quarantine storage: In this release, Google has made further improvements and changes, such as supporting the migration of files from the old model to the new quarantine model, and better management of cached files.
As last year, there are Android Beta feedback apps for Pixel devices. Users can access it from the application drawer or through Quick Settings to log errors in the issue tracker.
At launch, the Android 11 Developer Preview system image and Android emulator for Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are available. If you have installed DP1 or DP 1.1, the OTA push will be launched, and the Android Flash Tool is also provided.
That Android 11 DP2 is still a version for developer users and is not very suitable for daily consumer users.