The Android 11 beta has accidentally leaked out to some Pixel device owners and the first of the included features to be discovered is an “app suggestion” feature.
XDA’s Mishaal Rahman reports that with the Android 11 beta installed, the dock for the Pixel Launcher will show an app suggestion for something that Google thinks you might want to use.
These aren’t suggestions for apps that Google thinks you might want to install, but rather suggestions to place apps in the dock from a list of apps that you already have.
The Android 11 beta app suggestion feature works to fill in blank slots on the dock
The idea with these suggestions seems to be targeted at empty slots on the dock.
If you use the Pixel Launcher and your dock doesn’t have an app in every slot, this feature would suggest an app for you to put there. Whether it be gmail, a weather app, Discord, or anything else.
This is also an opt-in feature. Based on the screenshots from Rahman, users should see an onboarding message describing it on the home screen. That pop up also gives users the option to see suggestions or not. With there being an option to decline.
You can even easily enable this at a later date if you want to. Giving you the opportunity to flip back and forth as your tastes on the feature changes. Maybe you initially decide that you don’t want these suggestions, but then later want to try them out. You’ll be able to do that by turning on the feature with a toggle from the settings menu.
Suggestions change based on your routines
Aside from the suggestions being designed to supplement the dock to fill in empty slots, the suggestions also change.
All of them are based on your current apps that are already installed. They’re also based on apps which you frequently use. Otherwise known as you most-used apps. But the apps you use the most do change from time to time.
So to will the suggestions. As you shift which apps become a part of your daily routine, the suggestions will shift with them. And essentially move a new app into those blank slots on the dock. Apps are also pulled from the bottom row.
If you’re someone that uses a lot of different apps, you might find this useful. Though no one knows which apps you’d rather use the most more than you do.
