With Android 11 slowly rolling into view, it’s worth remembering that not all of the features Google adds to its mobile operating system reach all phones, and each manufacturer takes a slightly different approach.
As XDA Developers reports, Google makes recommendations on which Android features are a must-have for third-party phone makers, and which ones are only optional, and an earlier version of those recommendations for Android 11 has just leaked.
There are three key features that manufacturers absolutely don’t have to include in their own version of Android 11. The first is the selection of smart home controls that appear with a long press of the power button, allowing you to quickly turn off your smart device. lights or anything else.
Phone makers besides Google won’t have to include this, although they may choose to do so. Alternatively, they could decide to implement their own version of the feature, with some additional bells and whistles or a different interface.
Play by the rules
The second optional feature is conversation grouping in the notification drop-down panel: By default, Android 11 will keep messaging app alerts separate from other notifications, but this approach won’t be mandatory for everyone.
The likes of Samsung, Sony, LG, Xiaomi and the rest often mess around with how notifications work on their own versions of Android, so perhaps not surprisingly, this is a feature included in the optional category.
Finally, the last feature that will not be essential is the new facility to store identity documents in a secure locker on your phone: Google wants to allow you to store documents such as your driver’s license indoors, part of your phone, but other manufacturers will not have than to do the same.
These recommendations may change before Android 11 launches in full, but it’s something to keep in mind. If manufacturers want to keep Google applications and services on their phones, they must comply with these rules, but it seems that these three features will be optional.
