Anything that gives us more control over our users devices, should make our lives easier, and so we are all looking forward to Android 11 which has started to be deployed onto devices as the update is rolled out.
Users will benefit from a screen recording tool and the ability to keep track of chat messages across applications, plus easier ways to control Internet of Things (“IoT”) devices such as smart home security systems, lights, heating controllers and even your car.
However, what interests me (and hopefully you) more are the increased controls around data privacy including:
- the ability to give apps access to a device’s microphones, cameras and location on a single-use rather than perpetual basis
- a permissions auto-reset function that rescinds apps’ access to such functions if they have not been launched for some months
- limiting apps to launching the phone’s built-in camera app rather than a third-party alternative, to close a loophole that allowed some developers to harvest location data without the user’s say-so