Google does not sleep. The company behind the Android operating system is constantly working on new features – even far away from major Android versions. We present four new Android 11 features that you can get without an update.
Google presented the latest version of its Android operating system in September 2020. However, Google’s developers are also working on new features far away from major updates.
It is particularly interesting that some Android 11 features are not only available for the devices of the latest version, but older users also benefit from the innovations.
4 Android 11 features that are available for you since February 2021
At the end of February 2021, Hideaki Oshima, Product Manager at Google, introduced a number of new features. Google is playing these on all Android users without any active action. That means: You do not have to update your operating system purposefully.
In the following, we want to introduce you to the four interesting new Android 11 features that have been available for a few days. The focus is mainly on the user experience and security.
1. Google brings Password Checkup to Android smartphones
The biggest and above all most significant innovation concerns the security of your data, accounts and passwords. Google has introduced the so-called “Password Checkup” to all users whose devices run at least the Android 9 operating system.
What does this mean? If you use the autofill function of your Google account on your Android smartphone to save your passwords and enter them in apps and on websites, Google will automatically check whether your data has been hacked in the past.
If your login is on such a list, Google will automatically help you create and save a new, secure password.
2. schedule written messages for sending
And Android’s messaging feature is also getting an update. So, in the future, all users can schedule their written messages to be sent at a later time or day.
To schedule the message, you simply press and hold the send button and then select the time of your choice. The only requirement: your smartphone must be running at least Android 7.
3. More inclusion for the blind and visually impaired with Talk Back
Google has also worked on the inclusivity of Android. For example, a new version of “Talk Back” is part of the Android 11 features that have been available to all users since the end of February 2021.
The function enables blind people and people with visual impairments to control their smartphone via the spoken word without seeing the contents of the screen. Among other things, this is made possible by a standardized menu and new read-aloud functions in the navigation.
4. dark mode for Google Maps
The last new feature we want to introduce you to is the Dark Mode for Google Maps, which is now available to all Android users around the globe.
To activate the dark mode, open Google Maps on your Android smartphone, go to the settings and select Dark Mode in the themes. If you have had enough, you can also activate the “normal” look again in this way.
Other smaller Android 11 features
In addition to these larger updates, there are also a few smaller features. Android Auto, for example, gets some new features. These include new screens and voice-based games like Jeopardy for longer car trips.
