Android 11 review: the most important settings

Android 11 is officially here. It's out for Google Pixels and even some OnePlus phones. In this review, Dieter Bohn looks at the key settings you need to know to corral chat conversations, bubbles, location permissions, media controls, and the new power menu. The job of any mature OS is managing complexity and Android 11 just barely pulls it off.

00:00 Intro
01:50 Bubbles / Chat Heads
03:30 Media controls
04:37 Power menu
06:30 Additional small features
06:57 Android 11 on different devices
08:58 What's next

[TheVerge]

What feature are you most interested in?

[moranmono]

One thing that I love about samsung settings, after an update to the os or an app, there is an orange dot next to a menu or a setting with a new feature. That way I can't miss anything new

[himanshuraj]

"Go fragment yourself." That's what I'm gonna say from now on.

[dome_node]

Just like in real life - my interactions on the phone can be socially distanced and contained in bubbles.

[maxwellfox]

Dieter: “If your watching a review of Android 11 your almost as big a nerd as I am”
The Internet: #23 on trending

[wbmillard]

Would be great to get a "New" icon by settings that have changed or added features. Maybe with a toggle-able "info tag" as well.

[goudendynamiethd]

7:00 Look at it this way: Look at Samsung an Google as separate brands. Do not think about Google releasing the update on august or september every year. Just think like Samsung releases their software updates every december and january.

[darrsil]

Ugh if they renamed the "Gestures" screen to "Gestures & Actions" that would solve the Power Menu naming issue.

Also, you can enable the 3-button nav on Pixels too. I use it and prefer it to the "swipey swipey" gestures since their interaction with slide-out menus is still a mess. There are dozens of us!

[dwarkeshjangid]

But what about gestures support for third party launcher?
Edit : I have a motorola android one device on Android 10.. I hope stock android 11 supports it

[evankrosney]

Facebook has been doing the bubbles for years. I think they're great, personally.

[preetdabre]

order in which features hit operating systems:
1. Custom ROMs
2. Android
3. Jailbroken iOS
4. iOS

[samuelfoote]

Hahaha, "you're almost as big a nerd as I am.." 😂 I feel attacked.

[VaporRush]

I think it's time for bringing more diverse sound control. Like imagine, you want to listen to songs on Spotify while playing a game. Sometimes, you want to lower the volume of song while playing game at full volume but you just can't do it. Android should provide more sound control over apps.

[BA-rhhy]

I feel like bubbles is already available on my samsung before android 11.

[pranavm]

I’m not even an android user, but it’s nice to see how google thinks android should work

[Qwahchees]

Dieter is literally the only person at The Verge worth watching.

[lapiswolf]

5:49 turns out Xiaomi actually does something similar.

[jeroen]

Now 5 months later, I finally got my Android 11 update.

[BucioTheZenith]

Get back to me when they’re on Android 16, when I accidentally drop it and crack the screen, I’ll go Super Saiyan 2

[briansalazar]

I love bubbles. I've been using it with FB Messenger ever since I switched over to Android about a year ago. I know Messenger has had it for years so I always wondered "why isn't this system wide by now?" Glad it's finally here.