The Biggest Change in Android 11 Isn’t a New Feature

Google is obviously expected to take the wraps off the next version of Android later this year, and as it turns out, we’re closer to the debut of the preview program than we think.

The Mountain View-based search giant has recently dropped a hint that the very first developer preview is just around the corner, despite the fact that traditionally, Google releases the first developer preview in March. The company typically provides an in-depth look at what’s changed in every new version of Android at the I/O event in May.

But this time, Google not only that teases the developer preview early, but also one big change happening in this version of Android.

The next version of the operating system is very likely to drop the letter codenames, as the Google tease refers to Android update as “Android 11.”

Download links not yet live

This isn’t necessarily something surprising given that Android Q ended up being called Android 10, but on the other hand, Google itself seems to be jumping from one approach to another every now and then. For example, while it makes sense for the next Android version to be called Android 11, the next-next version has previously been referred to as Android R, so it looks like that not even Google has made a final decision on this.

For the time being, the teaser doesn’t provide too many details about what’s to come in Android 11, despite seemingly announcing an early build for Pixel devices.

“Get your apps ready for Android 11, with stronger protections for user privacy, new ways to engage users, extended support for foldables, Vulkan extensions, and more! Try it today on any Pixel device,” the teaser reads.

But of course, no link in this teaser works, so clicking “Try it today” or the “Get started” button won’t get you to the download links. Instead, they appear to be just placeholders for a later time when the download indeed goes live.