The first Android 11 beta just landed, get all the info you need here

Today, Google officially launched the first Android 11 beta. This marks the end of the developer preview cycle and the beginning of the beta cycle, which is the pre-requisite program to the stable launch.

Usually, Google would have a big event to announce the launch of something like the first Android 11 beta. However, the COVID-19 pandemic squashed those plans. Google eventually decided to have an online-only event instead, but then those plans were also squashed by the ongoing protests related to the death of George Floyd.

Related: Android 11 release date: When can you expect it to launch?

Now, Google has simply launched the Android 11 beta in tandem with some informational websites and videos. The company says this will allow people to “consume at your own pace when the time is right for you.” It’s not as splashy as a big launch event, but it’s the best the company could make of several bad situations.

First Android 11 beta: What’s new?

So far, there doesn’t appear to be too much difference between the previous Android 11 DP4 and today’s Android 11 beta. We are currently getting the beta installed on our own devices and will be able to investigate any new features and goodies Google may have introduced. For now, though, all we have to go on is Google’s own announcement, and there’s nothing there that we haven’t already seen.

You can check out our running roundup of the newest Android 11 features on the way, but the biggest changes will be easier access to conversation notifications, enhanced user privacy and security options, and better control over the other devices you usually connect to your phone.

Now, for the bad news: if you were looking forward to installing the first Android 11 beta on a non-Pixel phone, you are out of luck for now. The new beta will work on the most recent Pixel phones but no other devices are supported yet. This is a major shift from last year when we saw nearly two dozen phones from many of the most popular smartphone OEMs see beta support for Android Q. Check out our full brief on this here.

The good news is that a source familiar with Google’s plans confirmed to us that other devices will see Android 11 beta support. We just don’t know which ones or when support will begin.

Check out some of our other Android 11 coverage below, and stay tuned for more updates on what we discover in this first Android 11 beta.