Android 11’s public beta to launch with June 3rd live stream

Google will announce the first public beta for Android 11 in a live stream at 11AM ET on June 3rd, according to a promotional video spotted by Android Police. Google has since officially announced the live stream over on its developer site. The search giant typically debuts Android’s latest public beta in May each year, but the difference in 2020 is that its developer conference, Google I/O, had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Google is promising that the live stream will have “news, updates, and announcements” on “connectivity, controls, safety, security, productivity, accessibility” and more. From the early developer previews, it appears as though Google is working on improving app permissions in its new version of Android as well as finally adding a screen recording feature.

In addition to its announcements, Google’s live stream will also include a Q&A segment with Android VP Dave Burke and senior director of product management Stephanie Cuthbertson.

The company also announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the extra challenges of development, it’ll be slightly pushing back its release schedule for Android 11’s public betas. The first beta will go live on June 3rd, the second beta in July, and the third in August — each roughly a month after it usually would have been released. Presumably, that means the final version of Android 11 will be delayed as well, although Google says its still “on track” for a Q3 release.

Update May 6th, 2:25pm: Added confirmation and additional details from Google’s official announcement of the Android 11 live stream.