

- #Android messages enhanced features how to
- #Android messages enhanced features install
- #Android messages enhanced features for android
When activated, a small avatar - or Bubble - shows up on your screen and is visible no matter what app you're using.
#Android messages enhanced features for android
It made the cut for Android 11.īubbles are similar to Facebook Messenger's "chat heads" feature. Remember Bubbles? This feature was supposed to be part of Android 10, but Google pulled it at the last minute. Messaging Bubbles for your friends look like they'll be useful Instead of letting Google sort your new alerts on its own, long-press the conversation you want to follow closely and select Priority. Doing this will move new messages in that thread to the top of all of your conversation alerts, turn on Bubbles (more on that below) and use the contact's avatar as the alert icon in the notification tray and on the lock screen.īeing able to glance at the notification tray and see a profile icon, instead of the standard text alert that doesn't offer any really valuable information, is a nice touch. The change makes it easier to find the alerts you likely care about most, but if you receive a lot of messages, even this section can get messy. New message notifications get the limelightĪfter installing Android 11, you'll notice that alerts from all of your messaging apps, like Google Messages, have a dedicated Conversations section in your notification tray. Hold for Me is a pretty darn cool feature. The live transcription was a nice bonus that I wasn't expecting to see, but will surely make it easier to figure out if you need to answer the phone before Assistant alerts you. I tested out Hold for Me by calling Comcast and I was able to almost immediately have the Assistant begin listening to the call for me. In order for the feature to work, you need to turn it on by opening the Phone app, tapping on the three-dot menu icon, then tapping Settings. Select Hold for me from the list of options, then turn it on. Instead of waiting on hold, listening to the same boring music on loop, Google is bringing a new feature to Assistant and it debuted with the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5.Ĭalled Hold for Me, Google Assistant's new trick shows a prompt on the screen letting you know you can go about doing whatever it is you want to do and your phone will alert you when someone finally answers. Google Assistant can wait on hold for you

You can add or remove smart home devices from this grid by tapping the menu button and selecting add or edit controls. I can even view a livestream from my doorbell directly on this screen without having to open the Nest app, which is slow and a pain to use. My phone automatically picked a few devices I've linked to Google Assistant, like the Nest thermostat in my office and my Nest video doorbell. Then below that you'll find my favorite feature of Android 11 - quick controls for smart home devices. On the Pixel, at least, this screen gives you power control options along the top and provides shortcuts to your Google Pay cards and boarding passes. The first thing you should do after installing Android 11 is long-press the power button on your phone to bring up the new quick-controls screen.
#Android messages enhanced features how to
These are seven of my favorite Android 11 features and how to use them.Īndroid 11's quick controls are my new favorite controls.Īndroid 11 quick controls are a true highlight My personal favorite is the new quick-controls page for accessing my smart home devices with a swipe, and there's a new screen-recording tool for showing off your favorite game helping someone troubleshoot a problem.

For example, there's a new Bubbles chat feature that makes it easy to keep messaging from any app. You'll find subtle tweaks throughout the new operating system that make a big difference in how you'll use your phone every day.

If you'd rather not wait for your phone to receive the update, you can pick up Google's Pixel 4a 5G or Pixel 5, both of which run Android 11 out of the box. The rest of the launch will take some time, as is always the case with major Android updates. Samsung recently announced the rollout of Android 11 to some of its Galaxy devices, adding new and exciting features to the company's latest phones. The latest and greatest version of Android has been out for a few months now and has slowly made its way to more devices.
#Android messages enhanced features install
18, 2021: The Android 12 developer beta is here, and you can install it and try it out now.
