Android 11 was moved to Developer Preview 4 this week, and beta 1 has been moved to June 3rd to coincide with the company’s online developer event called #Android11: the Beta Launch Show.
Developer Preview 4 comes with the latest bug fixes, API tweaks, and features for developers to try in their apps. Additional details on the changes are available here.
In addition, Google has decided to add extra time to the Android 11 release schedule. Beta 1 and all subsequent milestones are moved out by about a month to give everyone more room, but to also keep the final release for later in Q3.
Beta 1 on June 3rd will include the final SDK and NDK APIs and Google Play publishing for apps targeting Android 11 will be opened.
Subsequently, Beta 2 will be moved to July and will contain Platform Stability and system behaviors and non-greylists will also be finalized. Beta 3 will move to August and will include release candidate builds for final testing.
“The schedule change adds some extra time for you to test your app for compatibility and identify any work you’ll need to do,” Dave Burke, vice president of engineering for Android, wrote in a blog post. “We recommend releasing a compatible app update by Android 11 Beta on June 3rd to get feedback from the larger group of Android Beta users who will be getting the update.”
Google also added that developers can begin to do compatibility tests on a Pixel 2, 3, 3a, or 4 device, or use the Android Emulator. They just need to flash the latest build, install their current production app, and test the user flows.
“Make sure to review the behavior changes for areas where your app might be affected,” Burke added. “There’s no need to change the app’s targetSdkVersion at this time, although we recommend evaluating the work since many changes apply once your app is targeting the new API level.”
