Android 11 Beta 3 is Here…..| What’s Changed…?
Google released the last Android 11 beta build before the rumored stable release next month. Whereas last month’s Android 11 Beta 2 release brought the final SDK, NDK, app-facing surfaces, platform behaviors, and restrictions on non-SDK interfaces, Android 11 Beta 3 simply includes bug fixes in preparation for the stable update. Google did sneak in one change to Android 11 in Beta 3, though: Users no longer need to turn on location services in order for apps using the Exposure Notifications System (ENS) to work. As usual, though, there are a few unannounced changes in the release that we discovered after installing the update on a Pixel device. Beta 3 doesn’t have nearly as many changes as earlier betas, but regardless, here’s what we found.
Android 11 Beta 3 – New User-Facing Changes
The Android 11 Easter egg is here
Every new Android version comes with a new Easter egg, and Android 11’s is now accessible in Beta 3. To access it, go to Settings > System > About phone > Android version and repeatedly tap on the “Android version” field. After a few taps, you’ll see a green circle in the middle with one smaller white circle inside of it and several smaller white (or black if your system theme is the light theme) circles surrounding it. This is actually a dial that you need to turn clockwise 3 times until you see the Android 11 logo appear as well as a toast message with a cat emoji. (You’re “turning it up to 11” in case you don’t get it.)
New “Media” setting, Swipe Away Media Player Notifications
Android 11 separates media playback notifications from other notifications, placing them instead in a dedicated section underneath the Quick Settings. This feature can also store up to 5 previous media sessions if supported by the app.
New Emojis are here
The Unicode Consortium announced Unicode 13 earlier this year, and all the new emojis have made their way into Android 11. You can flash a Magisk Module to install them on any rooted Android device or you can see them (kind of) with an input method like Gboard, but you won’t need to do either in Android 11 Beta 3 since the emoji styles are baked into the system font file.
A slight tweak to the power menu
Since Android 11’s new power menu packs so many buttons, including the standard row of power menu controls, contactless payment methods via the Quick Access Wallet API, and smart home controls via the Device Controls API, Google had to combine the power off and reboot buttons into a single “power” button. Tapping “power” shows the standard power off and reboot options with a new design in Android 11 Beta 3.
