Minecraft Bedrock beta/preview patch notes 1.20.20.21: Added sleep percentage game rules, updated recipe search, etc.

Modified July 13, 2023 02:25 pm

After Minecraft: Bedrock Edition released update 1.20.10, the new preview/beta is called Preview 1.20.20.21. Some key features have been removed from the Experimental Features toggle, and some new /gamerule additions should make things interesting. Various Java Version fixes and equivalences have also been implemented to measure performance.

In preview, this update for Minecraft Bedrock is in beta and all its changes and improvements may not be rolled out or remain in a future final build. Anyway, it’s not a bad idea for players to get used to the new changes so they can use them to the best of their ability.

While you can find the full list of changes on the official Minecraft website, it doesn’t hurt to look at the highlights of this particular preview.

Breaking down the biggest impact changes in Minecraft Bedrock Preview 1.20.20.21

Many of the same features and additions in recent Minecraft Java updates are making their way to Bedrock, thanks to recent versions and previews. This can also be seen in the 1.20.20.21 preview, as many of the most important changes are made in the interest of bringing the Java and Bedrock Edition closer together in terms of gameplay.

This is not to say that someday both versions of Minecraft will be indistinguishable, but changing the properties of blocks to make them equal across platforms is certainly not a bad thing. The Java/Bedrock split will certainly exist, but Bedrock Previews like 1.20.20.21 at least make the two similar in many fundamental respects.

The most important changes in Minecraft Bedrock Preview 1.20.20.21

• The recipe book search function has been improved for Survival Mode. The search function will now focus on the first few letters of the term. The search feature now also works better in conjunction with the recipe unlock feature, allowing players to search for recipes they haven’t unlocked.
• Recipe Unlock has moved from Experimental Feature to Official Feature. It can be turned on and off based on the world’s settings. Mojang has confirmed that there is a bug where the option to unlock the recipe is missing during world creation, but the bug can be fixed by editing the world after creation.
• Screen Narration now notifies players instantly when they change sliders and toggles in their settings.
• 188 blocks have had their interrupt times adjusted to be on par with the Java Version. According to Mojang, obsidian remains unchanged, but the developers plan to change its break time in the future once they settle on good times for both Java and Bedrock.
• Player sleep percentage game rule has been added. When set to a value between one and 100, this game rule setting determines how many players must sleep to fast forward to the next day. A value of 100 means that night time cannot be ignored.
• Bone meal can again be used underwater on sand, gravel and clay.
• Shulker boxes no longer take long to mine when broken without a pickaxe.
• Falling blocks can now fall and break on cocoa beans, and breaking allows falling objects to function as they should.
• Ammo will now sink in the top snow blocks.
• Nametag rendering is now based on Minecraft player’s camera position.
• Notifications have been added for iOS devices regarding low storage.
• Sculk sensors and chirps are no longer at risk of signal loss when they receive them near the periphery of the Minecraft player’s set emulation distance.
• The lapis lazuli icon seen in the enchantment panel will now be the same as the one seen in the forge interface.

As mentioned before, this Minecraft Preview is an experimental update, meaning that Mojang can still change things up in subsequent updates and official builds.

However, fans of Bedrock Edition playing on Windows PCs, mobile devices and Xbox consoles can enjoy the Preview Program and test the full range of changes made.