Google just released the first Android 11 developer preview and you can now install it on your Google Pixel or Project Treble supported Android device. While this is just the first developer preview of the next iteration of Android, we've already managed to uncover a few new security and developer-facing features in the software. There's a new screenshot preview with scrolling screenshot support, an increased touch sensitivity option for the Pixel 4, a new Motion Sense gesture to pause music, and a fully redesigned Notification History page. But that's not all that will be new in Android 11. We expect to see even more new features in the months leading up to Google I/O 2020, as Google will be rolling out 2 more developer previews and 3 betas before the stable release.

In a recent post on the Android Developer website, Google has shared a detailed timeline for the Android 11 rollout, along with some information about what will be included in each developer preview/beta release. As per the timeline, the Android 11 Developer Preview program will run till the final public release in Q3 2020 and Google will be releasing two more developer previews and three betas before the final release. The second developer preview will be rolled out in March and it will be an incremental update with additional features, APIs and behavior changes. This will be followed by the third developer preview in April, which will be another incremental update for stability and performance.

Android 11 release timeliene

The first Android 11 beta will be released over-the-air in May to early adopters who've enrolled in the Android Beta program. With the first beta, Google will continue compatibility testing, collect feedback from beta users, and start early testing with targeting Android 11. The second beta, which will be a Platform Stability milestone for Google, will be rolled out in June and will bring final APIs and behaviors. It will also open Play publishing and developers will be urged to start final compatibility testing for apps, SDKs, and libraries. The third, and final, beta will be a release candidate build and is expected to be rolled out in Q3 2020. Following its release, developers will be required to release compatible updates for apps, SDKs, and libraries. The final release to AOSP and the ecosystem will follow soon thereafter.

This time around, Google is introducing a new Platform Stability milestone (as mentioned above) which is expected to help developers plan and test their final releases. The milestone signifies that Android 11 will reach its final internal and external APIs, final app-facing behaviors, and final non-SDK graylists by the second beta release, following which there will be no further changes that will affect third-party apps. Google has urged developers to target the milestone for final planning, compatibility testing, and public release of their Android 11 compatible apps.


Source: Android Developers