According to XDA Developers, OEMs such as Samsung, Xiaomi, LG, OnePlus and any other Android manufacturer won’t have to include the new device control settings accessed via the power menu, the conversations in notifications feature, or have to support the potential storing of documents such as drivers licenses on-device. These aren’t necessarily headline Android features, but it’s interesting to see what the report uncovers. Google can make some features in Android 11 compulsory for other companies to adopt in order for them to push out the update to phones. But XDA found that Google has not made either of these three new features a ‘must’ for OEMs, so we may not see them implemented. Holding down the power button on a Pixel in Android 11 gives you a screen for potential smart home shortcuts – this won’t be necessary for OEMs to include, though they can if they like. They can also choose to implement it in a different way, and you might see Samung for example steer users towards its SmartThings smart home network. When we tried out Android 11 we loved how Google can group conversation notifications at the top of the notification shade, no matter which chat app they’re from. You can then make certain contacts priority notifications – it’s great, and therefore a massive shame that Google will not force OEMs to adopt it. Then again, it’s quite a Pixel-esque update that might not fly with more casual Android users. So Google is giving OEMs the options to “group and display conversation notifications ahead of non-conversation notifications”, but it won’t be compulsory. Finally, Google is trying to make it possible for Android 11 to host its IdentityCredential API that securely stores important documents like drivers licenses on-device. Documents would be stored in a secure environment on your phone without online access for security. You guessed it – it won’t have to be built in by every Android manufacturer. Once Android 11 rolls out to more phones we’ll gave a clearer idea of which phones will get any of these three cool features but as ever, if you want the full Android experience, you’re going to have to plump for a Pixel. Hopefully we’ll see the delayed Pixel 4a soon with full fat Android 11. Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.
