ASUS ROG Phone 2 Finally Gets Android 11 Update, Its Last Major Software Update

Last Updated on November 27, 2021 by Asif Iqbal Shaik

The ASUS ROG Phone 2 is finally getting the Android 11 update. Global ASUS ROG Phone 2 (ZS660KL) users should be getting an OTA (Over-The-Air) update with build number 18.0210.2111.160. The firmware update was released on 24 November 2021 and has a file size of 2.5GB. OTA updates are usually rolled out in a phased manner and they may take time to reach your device. However, if you can’t curb your excitement to run Android 11 on your device, you can click here to manually download the firmware file and update your device. Bear in mind that this firmware file will only work only on the global variant of the ASUS ROG Phone 2. Chinese and Taiwanese users can visit their regional ROG websites and get their respective update files.

ASUS ROG Phone 2 Android 11 Update: How To Update

1. Check the software version of your device
2. Download device software and Update SOP (From “Manual” Item)
3. Only apply to the same SKU update, for Example- WW->WW, CN->CN, TW->TW.
4. Software update cannot transfer the software SKU and downgrade the software version.
5. Wrong SKU may cause update failure, please update the same SKU version only.

Asus ROG Phone 2 Android 11 Update Changelog: New Features

1. Upgraded system to Android 11
2. Some 3rd party apps are not compatible with Android 11
3. Please back up your data before upgrading to Android 11. If you want to downgrade your device’s software version to Android 10 by the official software package, it will erase all data from your device’s internal storage.
4. Introduced new ROG UI design
5. Revamped Armoury Crate, Game Genie, Mobile Manager, Contacts, Phone, File Manager, Calculator, Clock, Gallery, Weather, Sound recorder, Settings, Data Transfer, Local backup, Setup wizard, System update apps
6. Support one-time permissions, improved scoped storage, and auto revoke app permission
7. Support to keep Bluetooth connection when the airplane mode is activated
8. Adjusted notification tray to Android 11 design. Support notification conversations
9. Classic style of power button menu supports device control and Google Pay in Android 11
10. Updated Auto switch in System colour scheme, advanced options for back gesture settings, and SIM card settings. Replaced with the latest ASUS One-handed mode.
11. Added Notification history and Bubbles settings
12. Integrated PowerMaster features in Mobile Manager into Battery Settings
13. Adjusted the Quick Settings panel design. Support media control function. Added Nearby Share tiles.
14. Added lock task, screenshot, share options after long-pressing the app icon of the task in recent apps screen.
15. Adjusted Calculator design to the latest Android style.
16. Added “Show blocked calls in call log” option in Call log Settings of ASUS Phone
17. Adjusted the size of status bar icons to keep visual consistency
18. Added setting alarm by date and group alarm features in Clock
19. Support new editing page in Gallery app
20. Updated the default selection logic of data category in Data Transfer
21. Adjusted the pages in the Setup wizard
22. Adjusted options and update mechanism in system update setting

The ASUS ROG Phone 2 was launched in 2019 with Android 9 Pie out of the box. It was later upgraded to Android 10 last year. In September 2021, ASUS announced a closed beta program for Android 11 and had been working on its refinement. Now, after a couple of months, we are finally witnessing a stable Android 11 update being pushed for the two-year-old ROG Phone 2.

It is advisable to proceed to the update with caution as brands tend to notoriously throttle the performance with updates, especially to devices near the end of their update cycles. The ASUS ROG Phone 2 is mostly used by hard-core gamers, competitive gamers or online game streamers. If you belong to these categories, you wouldn’t want your gaming device to perform worse than mid-range devices just for the novelty of Android 11. So, check for experiences of users who have already updated, before you take the leap.