Android 11


How To: Remove the Smart Home Toggles from Android 11's Power Menu
Android 11 has a new power menu. When you long-press the power button to shut down or restart your device, you'll see the usual buttons in addition to payment cards and a set of toggles for any smart home devices you've added to Google Home. It's a cool feature, but it does make the menu pretty cluttered.

How To: Should You Install Android 11 Beta? Here Are All the Major Problems
Android 11 is available as a simple beta install for Pixel devices right now. Just visit Google's beta signup page, make sure you're signed in with the same account used on your Pixel, then opt into the program. You'll get an OTA update that will put you on Android 11 in no time. But is it ready to be a daily driver?

How To: Here's What That 5G+ Icon in Your Status Bar Really Means
When you look at the top corner of your phone, what do you see? Upon upgrading to Android 11 or iOS 14, you'll see either "5G," "5G+," or "5G E" if you're connected to the right network. But what exactly do these symbols mean? They indicate not only if you're using 5G, but also what type you're connected to.

How To: Enable Popup Notification Bubbles for Your Chats in Android 11
Android 10 added the framework for OS-wide chat bubbles, a feature popularized by Facebook Messenger. The new system allows you to interact with incoming messages as if you were in the app — all without having to leave your current app. In Android 11, this feature is finally activated.

How To: Set Up Wireless Debugging on Android 11 to Send ADB Commands Without a USB Cable
From booting into Fastboot mode with a single command to installing mods without root access, there's no shortage of reasons to use ADB. The catch, though, you had to be tied to a computer with a USB connection. However, a new feature in Android 11 finally allows you to run ADB commands over Wi-Fi instead of being tethered.

How To: Use the Built-in Screen Recorder in Android 11
After adding and removing a screen recorder feature in Android 10, Google finally adopted a proper version in Android 11. Unlike the buggy and incomplete function last year, this one looks like a final product. And best of all, it is no longer hidden.

How To: Open 2 Apps at the Same Time on Any Phone with Android's Split-Screen Mode
As phones' screens get closer to seven inches, now is the perfect time to take advantage of Android's split-screen mode. This feature has available since Android 7.0 Nougat and allows you to divide the screen into two halves, with a different app on each side.

How To: See Which Apps Run at a Higher Refresh Rate with Android 11
For Android smartphones, the latest craze is high refresh rate displays, and many popular flagships have them. But until now, there has been no way to confirm it is, in fact, running at higher hertz besides a menu option. Android 11 changes this.

How To: See Dismissed Notifications on Android 11
Ever since Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, there has been a hidden feature known as Notification Log. Once unlocked, it showed all dismissed notifications. It has never really had an interface, so it is more of a cool thing to enable than a must-have feature. But thanks to a recent upgrade to Android 11, it is something every user should unlock.

How To: How Google's Preventing the AirDropped Nudes Problem with Android's New Nearby Share
Android has finally got a proper alternative to Apple's AirDrop. With a few touches, Nearby Share lets you send files, links, and even tweets to Android, Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, or Linux. But AirDrop has not been without its share of issues, and thankfully, Google has learned from them.

How To: Resize Picture-in-Picture Mode Videos in Android 11
Picture in Picture mode is one of Android's best multitasking tools. Ever since its introduction in Android 8.0 Oreo, you've been able to watch videos in a floating window while you use other apps. In Android 11, this feature is getting its first real upgrade.

How To: Remove the Screen Recording Icon from Android 11's Status Bar
After teasing the feature in Android 10, Google finally added proper native screen recording to Android 11. But when you start a capture, you'll see a small red indicator in your status bar as long as recording is ongoing, which can really distract from your video. Thankfully, it can be removed with a little ingenuity.

How To: Add Predictive App Shortcuts to Your Pixel's Home Screen Dock
For Android 11, Google is doubling down on the handy App Suggestions feature that debuted in Android 10's app drawer by expanding it to the home screen dock.

News: Android Will Finally Let You Dismiss ALL Notifications Later This Year
The shift to remote working in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has not slowed Google's efforts to fulfill its annual Android update cycle, as the third developer preview of Android 11 dropped on Thursday.

How To: 10 Major Security Enhancements Coming in Android 11
Starting with Android 9 and 10, Google made privacy and security the main priorities for Android updates. Both versions brought numerous changes to help erase the notion that Android isn't safe, but Android 11 might even have them beat.

How To: Completely Change the Status Bar on Any Android Without Rooting
Despite Android's flexibility in regards to customization, the options available in stock Android are pretty barebones. It is only with the help of third-party apps that we can entirely transform sections of the UI to our liking. And thanks to a new app, we can modify another part of the OS, the status bar.

How To: Install Android 11 on Your Pixel Without Unlocking the Bootloader or Losing Data
Android 11 won't be available as a beta update for Pixel devices until May 2020. Until then, the only way to try the latest Android version is by manually installing it. Usually, this means carrier models are left out since their bootloaders are locked, but there's still a way to get it done.

How To: Install the Android 11 Developer Preview on Your Google Pixel — The Beginner's Guide
Google just released the first version of the next major Android update. Early Android 11 builds will only available as developer previews, so you can't just sign up for the beta program and install the update as an OTA for the first couple months. That said, it's still pretty easy to get.

How To: See Passwords for Wi-Fi Networks You've Connected Your Android Device To
You've probably connected your Android device to dozens of Wi-Fi networks since you've had it, and your phone or tablet remembers each of them. Whether it's a hotspot at home, school, work, the gym, a coffee shop, a relative's apartment — or even from a friend's phone — each time you type in a Wi-Fi password, your Android device saves it for safekeeping and easy access later.