For advanced Android enthusiasts, Magisk is one of the most popular tools for achieving systemless root access to a device. Since each yearly Android release introduces new underlying code changes, there's usually a lot of work to be done before Magisk can be made compatible. Developer John Wu started with the first canary builds back in April, and now it looks like Magisk version 21 is officially ready for Android 11 — as well as a completely rewritten version of Magisk Manager.
The new release's main feature, of course, is support for devices running Android 11, but there's plenty of other updates below the surface as well. Magisk v21 includes Safe Mode detection, which automatically disables all modules when the device is booted into Safe Mode. The logic powering module mounting has been rewritten from the ground up, and the "match all rules" feature has been optimized to reduce size, save memory, and improve general kernel performance.
Magisk Manager, which allows installed mods to be managed from a single interface, is being updated to version 8.0.0, and the app has been completely redone with a new look as well as some fresh features. Detailed device info is now visible on the home screen to help users with installation, and support for a new communication protocol that works with Magisk v21 has been added. The app now supports "patching modern AP.tar" for Samsung devices, too.
It's great to see the new version of Magisk for Android 11 come out less than a month after the operating system's official release. That's even shorter than last year's timeline, which saw updated Magisk support come to Android 10 devices on October 14. With the future of SafetyNet-compatible rooting on Android uncertain, it's a relief that Magisk is still working its same old rooting magic for now.
Magisk Manager v8.0.0 can be downloaded from APK Mirror now, and you can find v21 of Magisk live on GitHub — just make sure you know what you're doing before you start messing around with it.