Android 11 Beta was released last week for Pixel devices and the OS team has been busy identifying issues and suggestions from testers so far. To make it easy for testers to get a hang of what new features and changes the version is making, Google has got a new daily video series called 11 Week of Android. This is to improve the OS experience when the final version is released. The initial two videos detail a couple of features – One Tap and Block Store, which are new to Android users.
One Tap and Block Store
These two changes are related to sign-ins for apps and services on the device. Called as One Tap and Block Store, these two make-up a part of the Google Identity Services (GIS) Library. The cross-platform sign-in feature – One Tap – users can sign-in to the apps and services in a single tap. When signing with One Tap, a secure token-based password-free account will be created.
On the other hand, Block Store is a token-based sign-in feature that reduces the hassle of signing into new devices. The token is encrypted for maximum security and stored on the device itself when the user signs-in. If the cloud backup option is enabled, this token will be backed up. When the user switches to a new device, during the app restore process – either through device-to-device or cloud restore, the service will retrieve the tokens for automatic singing into the apps.
Nearby Sharing
Another new feature coming to the Android devices is the Nearby Sharing which is most likely a Google version of Apple Airdrop. Once called Fast Share, it will allow sharing of photos, files or links with users in close proximity. It is not clear as of now, as to how this feature will actually work, but Android 11 Beta will see more soon. Whether or not it makes to the final Android 11 version is also another question mark.
