After releasing the first Android 11 developer preview in February 2020, Google just released the Android 11 Developer Preview 3 or Android 11 DP3 today. The new version of the pre-release software brings a new feature along with some new tweaks to existing features. Here is what is new.
App exit reasons updates
Apps in Android 11 DP3 can keep and fetch a record of reasons behind the most recent app deaths using the new getHistoricalProcessExitReasons tool in the Activity Manager class. The ApplicationExitInfo class shows the information that various apps can get before they exit. These include factors like the system running ow on memory, a runtime permission change, excessive resource usage, or a native code crash.
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GWP-ASan heap analysis
Older Developer Previews added a few tools that helped developers look for memory safety issue and fix them. The newest tool in the list is GWP-ASan. This sampling allocation tool will look fir heap memory errors with minimal overhead or impact on the performance. The tools is enabled by default on Android 11 DP3.
ADB incremental
Google is also bringing in a new ADB incremental feature to Android 11 DP3. The feature will allow large APKs to be installed much faster than before via a PC. The installation of an APK over 2GB via a computer is now 10 times faster. The feature requires your device to have the new incremental file system, currently only supported on the Pixel 4 series. However, Google says that all devices that will launch with Android 11 will have the Incremental File System feature.
Wireless Debugging
Android 11 allows using Wireless ADB easier than before. Users may now use the ‘Wireless Debugging’ option in developer options. Your phone can then be paired to a PC using the pairing code workflow. However, Google has said that it will add a QR code scanning feature soon.
Data Access auditing
Users will also see updated data access auditing APIs in Android 11 Developer Preview 3. The company has renamed several APIs so updating your apps is a good idea.
Android 11 roadmap ahead
This is the final developer preview for Android 11. Google will now release the first beta release in May, and another in June 2020. The first stable release for the new operating system will then be out sometime in the third quarter of 2020.
