Google delays Android 11

Google has released a new preview version of Android 11 for developers to play with, and also revealed details of a revised release schedule for the operating system.

Android 11 Developer Preview 4 has been released ahead of the first beta version, and it should come as no surprise to anyone that, given what's been going on in the world recently, this launch has been pushed back a bit. The good news is that everyone will be able to attend the launch event.

Google promises that the launch of the Android 11 beta "won't be like any other launch". At the beginning of June, the company is going to hold an online developer event it has called #Android11: the Beta Launch Show. The new beta launch date of June 3 is around a month later than originally planned, but as Google's vice president of engineering, Dave Burke, says: "When we started planning Android 11, we didn't expect the kinds of changes that would find their way to all of us, across nearly every region in the world".

The release of the finished version of Android 11 is penciled in for Q3, but Google is not offering up an exact date at this stage. Google puts a positive spin on the delay, saying to developers:

The schedule change adds some extra time for you to test your app for compatibility and identify any work you'll need to do. We recommend releasing a compatible app update by Android 11 Beta on June 3rd to get feedback from the larger group of Android Beta users who will be getting the update.

Google's new schedule for beta releases looks like this:

• Beta 1 release moves to June 3. We'll include the final SDK and NDK APIs with this release and open up Google Play publishing for apps targeting Android 11.
• Beta 2 moves to July. We'll reach Platform Stability with this release.
• Beta 3 moves to August and will include release candidate builds for final testing.

Check out the trailer for the launch event below:

If you want to try out the fourth developer preview, you can grab it from here. You'll be able to watch the online launch of the Android 1 beta here; things kick off at 11AM ET on June 3.