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When Android 11 arrived last year, it included a lot of new features for you to try. Samsung has managed to update its devices fairly well this time around, with the S20 and Note20 series getting Android 11 by the end of 2020, and plenty of other phones to beat it. While Samsung has added a lot of features, Google’s improvements still shine through, and these are the ones you really owe it to yourself to use.
Google Home controls
One of my favorite features in Android 11 is the Google Home panel built into the power menu, providing quick access to smart device controls. I use it all the time with my lighting and my Chromecast. And it’s not limited to the Home app – any developer can take advantage of this system.
Since Samsung infamously remapped the power button to Bixby, the implementation of these controls has changed for One UI. Swipe down on the notification shade, tap devices, and then tap SmartThings – a drop-down list will appear listing all compatible apps, including Google Home. Apart from the change of location, everything works the same as on a Pixel.
It should be noted that this only debuted with One UI 3.1, which first arrived with the Galaxy S21. Fortunately, older Galaxy devices have already started receiving this update.
Notification bubbles
Teased in Android 10, Notification Bubbles has finally arrived in Android 11. While Samsung’s pop-up view is more flexible in that it works with any app, Bubbles is faster and more convenient for quick access to notifications. important. Some apps still don’t support this, unfortunately.
Temporary authorizations
Tighter control of our data has been a growing priority for Google lately, and with Android 11 that extends to app permissions. Rather than a black and white allow or deny approach, we can now grant single access to location and other permissions. If there’s an app that you want to temporarily grant location access to, but you don’t want it to continue to do so in the background, this is a welcome tool.
Notification history
Left: Notification settings, Middle: Advanced settings, Law: Notification history
Too many times I have mistakenly deleted a notification before I had a chance to read its contents. Android 11 adds a history button to the drop-down menu that shows all recent notifications, even if they have been dismissed. Although this has been included in One UI, Samsung has made it harder to access than it should be.
Pull down the notification panel, tap “Notification settings”, “Advanced settings”, then “Notification history”. Here you will find everything from the last 24 hours. It’s annoying that it was hidden like this, but it’s still useful when you miss something you wanted to see.
Multimedia controls
The media controls have undergone a few design changes in recent years, but the new version of Android 11 is the most prominent. Rather than exist as a notification, it’s now part of the quick settings instead. The downside is losing a row of toggles, but it looks better and provides some useful new features. If multiple apps have media playback, the controls become paginated and can be dragged, rather than taking up unnecessary space as separate notifications.
Android 11 has made many improvements to the user experience, and these are just a few of the new features to explore. Samsung’s own features make this experience even better, so be sure to play around with those too.
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