Android 11 event and beta postponed: ‘Now is not the time to celebrate’

“We’ll be back with more on Android 11, soon.”

What you need to know

• Android 11 has been delayed.
• An event and beta release were scheduled for June 3.
• The development team says “now is not the time to celebrate”, and says more information will be available “soon.”

This morning, Android Developers has announced via Twitter that the beta of Android 11, along with a June 3rd reveal event, has been postponed.

Likely in a display of solidarity, and mindful of the current social climate (it did not mention any specific subject), the developer team tweeted:

We are excited to tell you more about Android 11, but now is not the time to celebrate. We are postponing the June 3rd event and beta release. We’ll be back with more on Android 11, soon.

We are excited to tell you more about Android 11, but now is not the time to celebrate. We are postponing the June 3rd event and beta release. We’ll be back with more on Android 11, soon.

— Android Developers (@AndroidDev) May 30, 2020

Google had already been forced to realign its release timeline for Android 11, in part because Google I/O was canceled due to COVID-19. When Google first announced its roadmap, it had scheduled beta releases for May, platform stability testing through June and beyond, and a final release in Q3 of 2020.

A revised timeline pushed all this back by a month, the beta was rescheduled for June but a Q3 release window remained.

As noted, Google had previously planned to release the first beta of Android 11 next week, on June 3. That launch was supposed to be accompanied by an all-digital, live-streamed ‘Beta Launch Show’ on June 3. As per the announcement this morning, this is no longer scheduled to take place. Given the announcement was only a few hours ago, there is no further indication as to any revised plans or a timetable, the team simply said it would be back with more info soon.

Android 11 promises a swathe of new updates for messaging, one-time permissions, built-in screen recording, adaptation for the diverse range of displays now offered by Android (folding displays, etc.), and preparation for 5G. The first public beta usually brings a host of stability updates, more significant features, and best of all, easy-enrollment for your Pixel online, as opposed to updating via manual flash.

You can read our Everything you need to know rundown of Android 11 here.

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