The giant Google company released the beta version of the Android 11 operating system on June 10 of this month, noting that Google was forced to cancel its developers conference this year due to the Corona virus, and also canceled the event to announce the system due to the American demonstrations, so it did not have the opportunity to show the new features in the latest version of the Android system as usual.
The company published a number of video clips, in addition to an article in which it talks about the beta version of the new system Android 11, and the wonderful new features that are worth talking about, but there are some hidden features that Google did not mention even though they are present in Android 11 in the first beta version.
5 wonderful and hidden features in Android 11 that Google did not mention:
1- Application suggestions appear on the main screen
The Android system already places frequently used apps at the top of the app drawer, but in Android 11, you can display them on the home screen as well. To activate this feature, you can follow the following steps:
• Long press on an empty part of the home screen.
• Click on the Home settings option.
• Activate the Suggestions on Home screen option, where a row of application suggestions will appear below the main icons bar.
2- Removed the 4 GB limit for video recording
Before smartphones started recording 4K videos, it was difficult to accept that the videos we captured with our phones could exceed the 4GB size allowed by Android.
But with the development of smartphone cameras to be able to shoot 4K video clips, a 15-minute video clip will be cut into more than one file because it is too large, as the old Android API, which uses the 32-bit file system, still specifies the maximum video file size at only 4 GB, which forced video recording applications to split longitudinal video clips into separate files for regular intervals.
But in Android 11, the software classes and APIs that save media were moved to use 64-bit file systems that can handle file sizes up to 16TB. The camera app will then determine the actual maximum size of the video file.
3- Hidden Recycle Bin:
If you have ever used the Google Photos service, you may know that when you delete a photo or video clip, you can retrieve it again from the recycle bin, which keeps it for only 30 days. This feature works in the same way as the recycle bin works on a computer, and now there is a similar feature in the Android system. Apps that use an API called MediaStore have new features in Android 11 to ask you if you want to send a media file to the Recycle Bin, mark it as being in the Recycle Bin, and set an amount of time before it is permanently deleted.
There is a system-wide limit of 30 days for storing deleted media, but developers can specify a shorter amount of time if they want, and after the specified time is reached, the media files are permanently deleted.
4- Upgrading the voice access feature to understand screen content:
In addition to adding new features, Google has also improved some existing features such as: Voice Access, which is an accessibility feature that allows you to control the phone by speaking without using your hand.
It is designed for users with motor disabilities, where they can simply use their voice to complete basic functions such as: opening any application, scrolling within pages, or interacting with the various responsive elements on the current page by speaking the specific name or number of each of these elements to facilitate interaction.
But in the beta version of Android 11; Voice access has become more streamlined, as you can jump directly to a control by number without the app losing track of the rest of what it can understand. This is very similar to the voice control feature available for iOS and macOS.
5- Force applications to support local backup:
The Android system originally supports the feature of backing up and restoring application data through the (BackupManager) interface that most Android devices deal with through Google Play services, with files stored in the cloud in users’ individual Google Drive accounts.
Each app is given 25MB of space to store things like: settings or game progress data. However, many developers choose not to backup their app data, for reasons such as: Not retaining user data when opting out of some apps, especially if the app deals with sensitive data.
But there is another backup that can be created through the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which is a tool that you can use when connecting your phone to the computer. It facilitates a variety of procedures, including: creating a backup copy locally and saving it on your computer. But not many developers support it in their apps either.
While in Android 11 system; The app backup feature will work locally, but only in new apps that work with Android 11.
