Android Q Beta 4: Pixel devices get a tweaked lock screen w/ relocated lock icon

Kyle Bradshaw | Jun 5 2019 - 11:05 am PT

Android Q Beta 4 is rolling out to Pixel devices today, and the first change everyone is presented with is the design tweaks done to the lock screen.

So far all of the changes in Android Q Beta 4 could be described as “minor,” and that’s to be expected considering Android Q is slowly getting closer to release. Introducing big new features and larger changes this late in the game is just asking for trouble.

One more subtle change made in today’s beta is a tweak to the lock screen on Pixel devices that might look familiar to iOS users. Google has moved the lock icon from the bottom, below any text explaining the device’s current charging, up to the top, above the time and weather.

Update: Another subtle change, noted by readers, is that the lock screen will now display at the bottom whether the device is being kept unlocked by Smart Lock or “Pixel Presence.”

Here’s the previous lock screen design from Android Q Beta 3, next to the new lock screen design in Android Q Beta 4.

This new lock screen layout is very similar to that currently in use on iOS, especially with Android Q’s gestural navigation enabled, which adds a similar navigation bar to the bottom of the screen.