UPDATED 15:41 EDT / FEBRUARY 19 2020

APPS

Google launches Android 11 preview with stronger privacy, virtual driver’s license support and more

Google LLC today rolled out the first preview version of Android 11, the next major iteration of its mobile operating system, in a launch that’s about a month earlier than previous years. 

The main audience the Android 11 Preview targets are developers who need to start testing their apps on new operating system versions early to ensure compatibility. The preview is available on Google’s Pixel smartphones and needs to be installed manually from a system image.

In Android 11, the search giant has put the emphasis on privacy and security. The new release extends the Project Mainline update mechanism from 10 operating system modules in Android 10 to 22 modules. When a security vulnerability is discovered in Android, Project Mainline allows users to download fixes from Google via the Play Store instead of having to wait for their handset’s manufacturer to create a patch.

Also new is a onetime app permission model. This feature will enable users to grant an application temporary access to sensitive information such as device location and have that access revoked as soon as the application is closed. It might be Google’s way of addressing the growing scrutiny around apps that track users’ whereabouts, scrutiny that recently reached the search giant’s own apps as well. 

“For the most sensitive types of data — not just location but also for the device microphone and camera — users can now grant temporary access through a onetime permission,” Android Vice President of Engineering Dave Burke wrote in a blog post

Other new security features in Android 11 include an upgrade to scoped storage and support for virtual identification documents. Scoped storage is a feature first added in Android 10 that limits apps to accessing only the data they strictly need. Android 11 also adds “platform support for secure storage and retrieval of verifiable identification documents,” according to Burke, which will allow handsets to store virtual government IDs like the digital driver’s licenses being piloted in some U.S. states. 

But Android 11 isn’t just about security and privacy. Google has also added in a slew of other enhancements including support for the STIR/SHAKEN anti-robocall framework, network management features for 5G phones and machine learning optimizations. 

“Neural Networks API (NNAPI) is designed for running computationally intensive operations for machine learning on Android devices,” Burke detailed. “In Android 11, we’re expanding the operations and controls available to developers. In this release, we’ve added new operations and execution controls to help optimize common use cases.” The new features cover tasks such as memory management and model efficiency optimization.

Over on the frontend, users can expected a number of interface changes in Android 11. There will be new screensavers tailored to the so-called pinhole and waterfall displays found on some phones, plus an extra section in the notifications panel for finding conversations in messaging apps.

Google plans to release two more developer previews of Android 11 through April. Those will be followed by three beta releases, which will in turn be followed by the launch of the final version sometime in the third quarter. 

Photo: Google

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