Google Delays Android 11 Event And Beta Release Amid US Protests
Earlier this month, Google said that it would announce the first Android 11 public beta on June 3 in a live stream. The live stream was officially announced on the Android developer site soon after, but things have changed. In a brief update on the matter today, the Android team said that Google is postponing the event and the Android 11 beta release.
The announcement was made just after midnight EST on Saturday, May 30, on the Android Developers Twitter account. The reasons for the delay weren't provided, with the team merely saying that "now is not the time to celebrate." It's unclear why the event and release have been delayed; Google has not provided new dates at this time.
We are excited to tell you more about Android 11, but now is not the time to celebrate. We are postponing the June 3rd event and beta release. We'll be back with more on Android 11, soon.
— Android Developers (@AndroidDev) May 30, 2020
The language in the tweet indicates that the delay may be due to the protests that have popped up around the US following the death of George Floyd. A video recording of the death sparked a conflict in Minneapolis and has triggered protests in other big cities around the nation. The Bay area in California is among the regions hit with strong protests.
Android 11 is expected to bring a number of new and improved features, at least based on the developer preview that was made available to devs. Users can (hopefully) expect to get access to a built-in screen recording function similar to the one found on iOS, as well as the ability to schedule when the dark theme will activate on their device.
As well, Android 11 will also give users more control over when apps are allowed to access the device's location, which apps are front and center in the Share menu, and a 'Fast Share' feature that is similar to the Airdrop found on iOS, among other things.