Google is making progress for Android 11 with the release of a Developer Preview 3 (available, by manual download and flash, for Pixel 2, 3, 3a, or 4 devices).

Aimed at application developers only, features of the release include an app exit reasons API, the addition of GWP-ASan for finding and fixing memory safety issues, ADB Incremental for installing very large APKs with Android Debug Bridge,  improved support for wireless debugging (pictured above) and data access auditing updates.

For example, for wireless debugging, Google says it has revamped the debugging experience using ADB over a Wi-Fi connection. It addresses the limited number of USB ports that may be available on laptops, and managing a myriad of cables and connections.

Dave Burke – Google’s VP of Engineering – writes:

Unlike the existing TCP/IP debugging workflow, Wireless Debugging on Android 11 does not need a cable to set up, remembers connections over time, and can utilize the full speed of the latest Wi-Fi standards. In DP3, use the pairing code workflow to get started with this developer feature. We plan to add an integrated experience for Wireless Debugging with QR code scanning in a future Android Studio release, but we want to get your early feedback on the command line tool offered in Android 11 DP3.

DP3 comes more than a month after the release of DP2 in mid-March.

Timeline

When will Android 11 appear? There are expected to be Beta releases in May and June with the full release scheduled for “Q3”.

Download

For developers wishing to get their hands on the code, Dave Burke says:

Developer Preview 3 has everything you need to try the latest Android 11 features, test your apps, and give us feedback. Just download and flash a device system image to a Pixel 2 / 2 XL, Pixel 3 / 3 XL, Pixel 3a / 3a XL, or Pixel 4 / 4 XL device, or set up the Android Emulator through Android Studio. Next, update your Android Studio environment with the latest Android 11 Preview SDK and tools, see the set up guide for details.