The ROG Phone 3 is finally getting its Android 11 update

The concept of gaming smartphones as we know them today has been with us for a few years, having been kickstarted with the Razer Phone. Bleeding-edge specifications and features to appease gamers and their needs have been at the forefront of the concept for these devices, and they’ve shifted a lot over the years. But one company that’s consistently pulling it off right is ASUS with their ROG line of smartphones. ROG is one of the biggest brands when it comes to gaming PC components, and on the smartphone side of the aisle, they’re a pretty big deal too. Last year’s smartphone, the ROG Phone 3, is now finally getting Android 11.

ASUS ROG Phone 3 XDA Forums

Android 11 for this phone has been a long time coming. The beta program for the phone’s update has been going since March, and Android 12 is right around the corner. But then again, ASUS has never really been known as a company with an amazing track record of updates, even though their software has greatly improved over the past few years. The ROG Phone 3 launched with Android 10, and most other phones launched during that timeframe have already had Android 11 for months. But then again, ASUS also took a long time to polish the update so it’s completely ready for final consumers, and now, the update is rolling out to all ROG Phone 3 users across the globe.

We should note that the update has not been announced yet on the ZenTalk forums, but nonetheless, the ROG Phone 3 update’s firmware file is now available if you want to check it out on your device. If you haven’t checked out Android 11 on the ROG Phone 3 yet, chat bubbles, one-time permissions control, notifications history, and increased security are among the enhancements included with the new OS. You’ll also get the latest version of ASUS’ ZenUI/ROG UI skin, as well as a number of stock apps that have been updated to match. The full changelog goes as follows:

Upgrade system to Android 11
Some 3rd party apps are not yet compatible with Android 11
Please back up your data before upgrading to Android 11. If you want to downgrade your device’s software version to Android 10 by official software package, it will erase all data from your device’s internal storage.
Introduced new ZenUI design
Revamped Mobile Manager, Contacts, Phone, File Manager, Calculator, Clock, Gallery, Weather, Sound recorder, Settings, Data Transfer, Local backup, Setup wizard, System update apps
Support one-time permissions, improved scoped storage, and auto revoke app permission
Support to keep Bluetooth connection when airplane mode is activated
Adjusted notification tray to Android 11 design. Support notification conversations
Classic style of power button menu supports device control and Google Pay in Android 11
Updated Style、Auto switch in System color scheme, advanced options for back gesture settings, and SIM card settings. Removed previous ASUS One-hand mode.
Added Notification history and Bubbles settings
Integrated PowerMaster features in Mobile Manager into Battery Settings
Added PowerMaster functions in battery settings, such as slow charging、select charging limit、custom battery modes、Hibernate apps settings, and so on.
Adjusted the Quick Settings panel design. Support media control function. Added Nearby Share tiles (Need to add manually).
Added lock task, screenshot, share options after long pressing the app icon of the task in recent apps screen.
Adjusted Calculator design to the latest Android style.
Added “Show blocked calls in call log” option in Call log Settings of ASUS Phone
Adjusted the size of status bar icons to keep visual consistency
Added setting alarm by date and group alarm features in Clock
Support new editing page in Gallery app
Adjusted to new screenshot and screen recorder folders to fulfill Android 11 requirement
Updated the default selection logic of data category in Data Transfer
Adjusted the pages in Setup wizard
Adjusted options and update mechanism in system update setting