Android 11 Developer Preview 3: How To Download On Google Pixel Devices

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The third and possibly the final installment of the Android 11 Developer Preview has been released for Google Pixel smartphones. The new developer preview comes with build number RPP3.200230.017 and brings several new features in addition to the April 2020 security patch. The Android 11 Developer Preview 3 can be downloaded on most Google Pixel devices (Google Pixel 4 / 4 XL, Pixel 3a / 3a XL, Pixel 3 / 3 XL, and Pixel 2 / 2 XL), Project Treble-supported devices, or in Android Studio.

 

Android 11 Developer Preview Features

Android 11 Developer Preview Features

The Android 11 Developer Preview 3 is essentially an incremental update for stability and performance. It brings a number of new features, updates to existing features, APIs, and tools. Some of them are listed below. Before we talk about how to install the Developer Preview 3 on the Google Pixel devices, let's find out what it brings to the table.

App Exit Reasons Updates

App crashes can be annoying, especially if you are an app developer and wanted to understand why an Android app exited in the first place. The Developer Preview 3 allows you to check what the state of the app was when it crashed. Android 11 DP 3 does this by adding an exit reasons API that you can use to request details of the app's recent exits. The team behind the DP3 has updated the APIs based on user's input.

GWP-ASan heap analysis
 

GWP-ASan heap analysis

The Android 11 DP3 also addresses fix memory safety issues by adding a GWP-ASan sampling allocation tool. Integrated to run by default in platform binaries and system apps, the tool detects heap memory errors with minimal overhead or impact on performance. You can also enable it manually for apps as well. The Google blog mentions that if your app uses native code or libraries, you should enable GWP-ASan and testing as soon as possible.

ADB Incremental

ADB Incremental

The Android 11 DP 3 makes it easy for developers to install very large APKs (especially games) with ADB (Android Debug Bridge) during development. The Android 11 DP 3 features ADB Incremental which allows for 10x faster installation of large APKs (2GB+) from your development computer to an Android 11 device.

Developers need to sign for APK signature scheme v4 format to use the developer tool. After that, you can install an APK file with the updated ADB command line tool found in the Android 11 Preview SDK.

It is worth mentioning that the ADB Incremental tool only works with Pixel 4 / 4XL devices due to a required file system change at the device level. However, all new devices launching with Android 11 will include this change and will support ADB Incremental.

Wireless Debugging

Wireless Debugging

The new Android 11 Preview also simplifies the debugging experience. The Dp3 supports ADB over a Wi-Fi connection. It will not need a cable to set up and also remembers connections over time with the host computer. Additionally, the device can also utilize the full speed of the latest Wi-Fi standards. Developers will be able to use the pairing code workflow to get started with this developer feature. Google also plans to add an integrated experience for Wireless Debugging with QR code scanning in a future Android Studio release.

How To Download Android 11 Developer Preview For Pixel And Other Android Devices

How To Download Android 11 Developer Preview For Pixel And Other Android Devices

Like previous builds, the Developer Preview 3 is only available by manual download and flash only process. To flash the new build, you'll need to do a full reset of your device, so make sure you back up all important data on your device.

It is also worth mentioning that Developer Preview releases are early baseline builds for developers only. These builds usually have bugs and are not suitable for daily use by early adopters or consumers.

Preliminary Steps

  • Download Android Flash Tool on your PC
  • Enable Developer options and USB debugging on your Google Pixel device
  • Enable OEM Unlocking in the Developer options menu if your bootloader is unlocked

Steps To Download Developer Preview

  • Connect your Google Pixel device directly to your PC/development machine
  • Open flash tool in a Google Chrome or any other browser
  • You will see a pop up on the screen with a message, "Allow site access to your ADB keys in order to communicate with devices"
  • Allow the flash tool to communicate with your test device through adb by accepting the popup
  • Now click ‘Add new device'
  • Select your device from the list and click Connect
  • Select ‘Always allow from this computer' on your device's screen
  • Click OK to accept the USB debugging connection
  • Now select the connected device in your browser
  • Select your desired build from the list of the builds you want to install
  • Click Install to start the process
  • Your device will reboot and enter fastboot mode.
  • Once you see ‘Flash Complete' on the screen, disconnect the device from the USB cable

After flashing the Developer Preview build to your Pixel device, you will receive over-the-air updates for later Developer Preview and Beta builds.

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