What is the newest android software

Now in Android #13

Android 11 developer preview, Android Studio 3.6 stable and 4.0 beta, background location guide, easier testing for dynamic feature modules, material motion guide and library, articles, videos, and AndroidX releases

Welcome to Now in Android, your ongoing guide to what’s new and notable in the world of Android development.

Hotels and 13th floors. But maybe you like to avoid the number 13 in your life (the 13th floor, the last donut in a baker’s dozen, counting by ones after you reach 12 and before you reach 14). If so, just imagine that this is called #14 instead. And then next time, when I post #14, tell yourself that since it’s about software, it must be an off-by-one error.

In the meantime, there were many things that hit in the last couple of weeks, so let’s get going.

NiA13 in Video and Podcast Form

This Now in Android is also offered in video and podcast form. It’s the same content, but with less reading required. The article version (keep reading!) is still the place to come for links to all of the content that’s covered.

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Now in Android: 13 — Android 11 preview, Android Studio 3.6 stable & 4.0 beta, material motion…

Welcome to Now in Android, your ongoing guide to what’s new and notable in the world of Android development. In this…

Android 11: Developer Preview 1

The big Android developer news for the past couple of weeks is that the first developer preview for Android 11 is now available. You can not only install the system image and play with it on one of your developer devices (Pixel 2, 3, or 4), you can (and should!) also test out your app to see how it looks on the new release (using one of those test devices or the emulator). While you’re there, check out some of the new features and APIs that you might want to use.

Here’s a small sample of the features you’ll see in this first preview:

• Support for 5G, with new APIs to check unmetered status and bandwidth capabilities
• Bubbles, a system-wide UI for seeing ongoing conversations. Bubbles were introduced in Android 10, but hidden behind Developer Options; now they are enabled in the platform and the API is available for use.
• One-time permission: The tri-state location permission introduced in Android 10 (allowing access to location while apps were in the foreground only) was popular with users, so we are expanding that concept to make the permission available only while the app is in the foreground during this session. Also, we’re adding the microphone and camera to the list of permissions with this additional layer of user control.
• Scoped-storage protections which began in Android 10 are being expanded. Some new capabilities to make access to scoped storage easier include batched edits and access to raw files and paths.
• BiometricPrompt APIs which handle a wider variety of device capabilities have been introduced in Android 11, and are also available in the biometric AndroidX library for compatibility.
• Data blobs (which stands for “binary large object”, but I prefer the term “blob”) may now be shared between apps through the BlobStoreManager API. This could be useful for a large download, like an ML model, which an app wants to make available to other, related apps that also need that data.

For more info on Android 11, check out the article on the Android Developers Blog, and head over to the preview site to read about the specific changes and to download the system image.

Android Studio

Our IDE had a couple of important releases recently.

3.6: Stable

The 3.6 release of Android Studio recently went stable. I’ve talked about 3.6 in a previous edition of Now in Android, and maybe you’re already using it. But in case you were waiting for it to be complete before updating, that time is now.

Hop on over to the Studio download page to get your very own copy. Here are some of the things you’ll find in this version:

• Improved and easier leak detection
• Split-view for code and design resource file editing
• View binding (see Sean’s article about this, referenced below)
• Emulator improvements for working with location and multi-display situations.

4.0: Beta

I’ve also talked about 4.0 recently. But if you were waiting for it to get out of that alpha stage, now’s your chance. Some of the fun features you’ll find in 4.0 Beta include:

• MotionEditor, the visual editing tool for the new MotionLayout API that enables richer animations
• Live LayoutInspector

For more about the 4.0 design tool changes in particular, check out Nicolas Roard’s Twitter thread:

4.1: Canary

Just to round out the offerings, you can also live on the wild side and download the newest version of Android Studio, 4.1, which is now available in the canary channel.

The main reason I’m calling it out here is that the Jetpack Compose compiler has been removed from the 4.0 release. So if you want to play with the pre-alpha Compose UI toolkit APIs, you’ll need to use version 4.1.

Background Location Guide

Q: What are the three most important things about user privacy?
A: Location, location, location.

One of the larger areas of privacy changes in recent releases has been around location. It’s critical that applications accessing user location have permission to do so, and that that access is transparent to and controllable by the user. But this behavior can require effort from application developers to get it right.

To help, we’ve created a new guide to help you understand how you might be accessing location while in the background, and to give you tips on how to update your app to provide alternatives to such access.

Dynamic Feature Module Testing

Local development and testing with FakeSplitInstallManager

New releases of Bundletool and the Play Core library made local iteration faster and testing possible with on-demand…

Dynamic feature modules are a powerful way of improving download and install experiences for users, by moving elements of your app that aren’t required on first launch into optional modules that can be installed later.

But testing dynamic feature modules proved difficult, since it required installing the bundle on the Play Store.

Wojtek Kaliciński has been working to make this easier, through enhancements in the Play Core library, along with documentation and samples. Now, you can use version 1.6.5 of the library and test the functionality locally.

Material Motion

Animation is a powerful way to make application UIs easier to understand and to interact with. But… animation can be difficult to implement, especially for rich motion involving transitions between elements and activities.

The Material Design team recently posted a comprehensive guide for handling UI Transitions in your application. Even better: version 1.2.0-alpha05 of the Material Design Components library provides transitions implementing this guidance that are ready for use in your app.

Check out the excellent documentation and the article for more on how to integrate these new transitions into your app.

Articles

Nick Butcher added two new articles to his ongoing Android Styling series, both around theme attributes:

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What is The Latest Version of Android? A Complete Guide…

If you’re running an Android phone, you might be wondering what the latest version of Android currently is – here’s everything you need to know…

Google’s Android platform is the most-used mobile operating system on planet earth. Today, there are around 3 billion active Android phones in operation – that’s over a third of the globe’s population.

Android has been around in one form or another since the early-2000s, but it wasn’t until 2007 that things started to heat up. In 2007, the first-ever Android phone was released. And between 2007 and 2012, things picked up pace rapidly.

Google has tweaked, updated, refined, and made Android one of the best and most useful operating systems on the planet. It is more “open” than Apple’s iOS and also more customizable.

With Android, there are fewer restrictions with things like side-loading apps. And because Android is based on Linux, you can also access the kernel and make system-wide changes and customizations – this is referred to as rooting.

The next big update to Google’s Android platform will be Android 12; it is due to launch later on in 2021. And the Pixel 6 will be the first Android phone to run it.

Latest Android Version

• Android 11 is The Latest Android Version
• Announced: September 2020
• Rollout: Currently Ongoing

The latest build of Android is Android 11. Google announced Android 11 on September 8, 2020. Android 11 is the 18th version of Android released and the eleventh major iteration of Google’s mobile operating system.

Google’s Android 11 launch was delayed because of COVID. Initially pegged to launch at Google I/O 2020 in June, the event was postponed and eventually took place online a few months later during September.

The first phones to get Android 11 were Google’s Pixel phones. This is the #1 reason why people use Pixel phones – they’re always first in line for new Android updates. And it’s not just new Pixel phones either; the Pixel 3, and Pixel 3a, as well as the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.

Google – and, more recently, Samsung – ensures each of its Pixel phones will get three years’ worth of Android updates. Currently, only Samsung and Google offer this kind of support, so if software is important to you, maybe think about getting either a Samsung phone or a Google Pixel phone next time you upgrade.

Me? I’d 100% go with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE right now – it’s a killer phone and it is A LOT cheaper than the standard S20 model (and, in my opinion, is just as good).

Android 11 Features – What’s New In The Operating System?

Updated UX

Google introduced a few changes to Android 11’s UX in 2020. The most visible is the addition of “conversations” notifications which are designed to make organizing your chats and messages simpler and more intuitive.

Compatible apps will now display IM and messages in “bubbles” and you can change the priority of how these bubbles are displayed – so, friends and family can be placed at the top for quick access.

You also have dedicated controls of smart home devices in the UX, things like Google Home and Google’s Nest products. With media controls, you can access these from the quick settings area. Android 11 also now comes with a built-in screen recorder, which is great for creating how-to videos and sharing content from apps with friends.

New APIs & 5G Support

Google introduced a bunch of new APIs inside Android 11. The most notable of which are designed to deal with 5G. But there are also new APIs for curved and foldable displays, as well as APIs for improved heat management, whereby apps that are causing issues will be managed more effectively, resulting in smoother, cooler running temperatures on Android 11 phones.

Privacy & Security Update

Google also simplified and improved security and permissions inside Android 11. With Android 11, you can set “one-time” permissions for core apps like camera, microphone, and location. Users can decide what level of permissions they give the app – and you can choose to confirm access every time you use the app.

Here’s a full breakdown of Android 11’s new security and privacy features, as confirmed on the Android 11 Developer Blog:

• Background location – Background location now requires additional steps from the user beyond granting a runtime permission. If your app needs background location, the system will ensure that you first ask for foreground location. You can then broaden your access to background location through a separate permission request, and the system will take the user to Settings to complete the permission grant.
• Also note that in February we announced that Google Play developers will need to get approval to access background location in their app to prevent misuse. We’re giving developers more time to make changes and won’t be enforcing the policy for existing apps until 2021.
• Permissions auto-reset – if users haven’t used an app for an extended period of time, Android 11 will “auto-reset” all of the runtime permissions associated with the app and notify the user. The app can request the permissions again the next time the app is used. More here.
• Scoped storage – We’ve continued our work to better protect app and user data on external storage, and made further improvements to help developers more easily migrate. More here.
• Google Play system updates – Launched last year, Google Play system updates help us expedite updates of core OS components to devices in the Android ecosystem. In Android 11, we more than doubled the number of updatable modules, including 12 new modules that will help improve privacy, security, and consistency for users and developers.
• BiometricPrompt API – Developers can now use the BiometricPrompt API to specify the biometric authenticator strength required by their app to unlock or access sensitive parts of the app. For backward compatibility, we’ve just added these capabilities to the Jetpack Biometric library. We’ll share further updates as the work progresses.
• Identity Credential API – This will unlock new use cases such as mobile drivers licences, National ID, and Digital ID. We’re working with various government agencies and industry partners to make sure that Android 11 is ready for digital-first identity experiences.

Android Version History – From 2009 To 2021…

Over the years, we’ve seen PLENTY of Android version updates – some minor, others major. In total, Google has released 16 Android versions, including Android 11, and when Android 12 drops later on in 2021, we’ll be at 16 complete Android versions since 2009.

Complete Android Version List – 2009 to 2021

• Android 1.5, Cupcake: April 27, 2009
• Android 1.6, Donut: September 15, 2009
• Android 2.0-2.1, Eclair: October 26, 2009
• Android 2.2-2.2.3, Froyo: May 20, 2010
• Android 2.3-2.3.7, Gingerbread: December 6, 2010
• Android 3.0-3.2.6, Honeycomb: February 22, 2011
• Android 4.0-4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich: October 18, 2011
• Android 4.1-4.3.1, Jelly Bean: July 9, 2012
• Android 4.4-4.4.4, KitKat: October 31, 2013
• Android 5.0-5.1.1, Lollipop: November 12, 2014
• Android 6.0-6.0.1, Marshmallow: October 5, 2015
• Android 7.0-7.1.2, Nougat: August 22, 2016
• Android 8.0-8.1, Oreo: August 21, 2017
• Android 9.0, Pie: August 6, 2018
• Android 10.0: September 3, 2019
• Android 11.0: September 8, 2020

Back in 2009, when Android first launched, Google had to make some pretty big changes early on. That’s why we have three versions of Android released in a single year. From around the time of Android Ice Cream Sandwich, Google switched to a yearly update cycle.

And for the most notable Android versions, we have a few choice options that appeared over the years. Android Honeycomb, for instance, was designed purely with tablets in mind. This was before Apple had completely overtaken the market with its iPad.

Ice Cream Sandwich, for many users, was one of the biggest Android updates ever. It launched in 2011 and radically changed the look and feel of Android. Most Android users didn’t get to experience it first hand, thanks to the use of custom skins on all Android phones, but those that used Google’s Nexus phones got to see all the changes in all their glory.

Android KitKat was a very controversial update too. It was the first time Google partnered up with a commercial, non-tech brand. In this case, it was Nestle, the owners of KitKat. Plenty of users took issue with this, citing Nestle’s less than stellar rap sheet over the past few decades. The food-based naming of Android stopped in 2019 with the release of Android 10. From Android 10 onwards, all Android updates will be numbered.

How To Check Android Version On Your Phone

Unsure what version of Android you’re running? It’s actually pretty simple to check what version of Android you’re running. All you have to do is follow these steps: Settings > About Phone > System > Android Version.

If you’re running an older version of Android, there might be an update waiting for you. To check if you can update your phone, do the following: Settings > About Phone > System > Android Version > System Update

Nothing there? No problem. All this means is that you’re running the latest Android version available for your phone. As you’re probably well aware, most Android phones – save for Samsung and Google Pixel ones – do not run the latest software.

If you’re stuck on a REALLY old version of Android, like Android 8 or lower, it is probably time to update your phone. And if you want three years’ worth of guaranteed Android updates, your best bet is to go with a Google Pixel phone like the Pixel 5 – my current daily driver.

Or, if you want something a little fancier, the Samsung Galaxy S21 – as there are some great deals for it online now!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is The Latest Version of Android?

The latest version of Android is Android 11. Google announced Android 11 during an online event on September 8, 2020. Android 11 is the 18th build of Android to be released, and the 11th major build of Google’s mobile operating system.

Q: Is Android 11 Now Rolling Out?

Android 11 is now rollout out to select Android phones. Google’s Pixel phones got the update first, followed by the OnePlus 8T and VIVO V20. Samsung has released multiple beta builds of Android 11 for its Galaxy phones with a view to getting an official Android 11 released before the close of 2020. Not all Android phones will get Android 11, but those that do will receive it between now and Q2 2021.

Q: What Phones Will Get Android 11?

Not all Android phones will get Android 11. If you bought a phone from a major brand – Samsung, LG, Google, OPPO, RealMe – in 2019, your phone will likely receive Android 11. Flagship devices are most likely to get the update, though cheaper Android phones should too – although it ALL depends on whether the handset-maker decides to support Android 11 on its phones. As always, there are no guarantees – unless you’re using a Pixel phone or a flagship Samsung phone.

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