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Google Delays Android 11 Beta Launch Again

After a night of nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, Google says 'now is not the time to celebrate.'

Michael Kan
 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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UPDATE: Google announced early Saturday morning that it would again delay the launch of its Android 11 beta and postpone a planned online event. The company didn't specify why, except to say that "now is not the time to celebrate." But it came on the heels of nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police.

Original Story:
Google I/O has been canceled due to COVID-19, but the show will still go on for the upcoming developer preview of Android 11. It'll just be delayed to June.  

"We’ve decided to add a bit of extra time in the Android 11 release schedule," Dave Burke, Google's VP of engineering, wrote in a blog post today. "We’re moving out Beta 1 and all subsequent milestones by about a month, which gives everyone a bit more room but keeps us on track for final release later in Q3."

Normally, Google pushes out the first beta release of a major Android update at Google I/O, which is held in May in Mountain View, California. But in March, the tech giant decided to cancel the festivities entirely, citing the coronavirus and San Francisco's shelter-in-place order, making it unclear when we might hear about Android 11.

Google beta release schedule for Android 11 Google's Android 11 release schedule (Image: Google)

A developer preview of Android 11 arrived in February, but Google decided to push back the beta release schedule for the OS by a month to account for coronavirus-related disruptions. Beta 1 will now be released on June 3, when Google also plans on live streaming a “beta launch show” for Android 11, which will be free for anyone to attend. 

“There will be news, updates and announcements on connectivity, controls, safety, security, productivity, accessibility and a whole bunch of other stuff we're not ready to tell you about yet. Let's hope that doesn't leak," says a video promoting the event.  

The upcoming event doesn’t look like it will replace Google I/O, which is usually held over a three-day period and features a plethora of developer-focused sessions. The June 3 live stream will only last for one hour. However, Google is teasing that Star Trek actor George Takei will make a special appearance during the presentation. 

In a tweet, the official Android Developer account said the event will also show off new emojis coming to the OS. The company is also going to host a “live Q&A afterparty,” so that developers can connect with Google’s Android experts. You can start tweeting your questions now with the #AskAndroid hashtag.

Burke added: "Later that day, we’ll be sharing a number of talks on a range of topics from Jetpack Compose to Android Studio and Google Play—talks that we had originally planned for Google I/O—to help you take advantage of the latest in Android development."

In the meantime, Google released a smaller-scale "fourth developer preview" for Android 11 today. 

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About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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