Google I/O starts in a couple of hours, and one of the things we expect the search giant to show off is the second Developer Preview of Android P. In usual fashion for these types of significant announcements, someone is claiming that they got their hands on the update before it was made official.
Update: We’re told by a trusted source that these images are, in fact, legitimate and this is what we’ll be seeing soon from Google.
As AP notes, these screenshots look real, but they could be excellent Photoshop images. The person who shared them, someone by the name of Gabriel Bryne, claims they were able to get their hands on and install Android P’s Developer Preview 2 before it’s officially unveiled later today.
The very first screenshot shows Bryne receiving DP2 via an OTA update, but that doesn’t seem possible as Android’s Beta Program still has copy talking about the Oreo beta. The only way I can imagine he received this is that his phone was running Android P DP1 and accidentally got sent the second preview a day early.
As you can see below, DP2 supposedly comes in at 933.4 MB. Once installed on the Pixel, the build is showing as PPP2.180412.012.
Looking at the rest of the screenshots provided by Bryne, we get a look at the gesture-based navigation controls that previously leaked. As you can see, the rumored pill home button and back button are still present while the Recents or Overview button is gone.
There are also two new options in the Gestures menu with the first labeled as “Swipe up on Home button.” The text on the option is kind of hard to decipher, but my best guess is that you can access your app drawer at any time by swiping up twice. It also appears as this option is what enables the gesture navigation option:
To switch apps, swipe up on the Home button. Swipe up again to see all apps. Works from any screen. You’ll no longer have an Overflow button on the bottom right of your screen.
The second option is “Prevent ringing.” Unfortunately, all we know from the screenshots is that this is works by pressing the power button and volume up at the same time. It isn’t clear if this turn on Do Not Disturb mode or just sets the device to vibrate.
One thing to note with the screenshots of the landscape app switcher is that there appears to be a scroll function to quickly move through your recently opened apps.
The last screenshots show a new adaptive battery option. When enabled, it’s supposed to limit the battery usage of infrequently used apps.
Lastly, Bryne shared a Google Photos album of him holding his Pixel with the supposed Developer Preview 2 installed. While this does make it look more realistic, it would have been nice if he uploaded a video walking through the phone’s OS. We will have to wait until later today when Google officially announced DP2 to know for sure if these are real or not.
Update: A new video shows off Android P DP2 in action
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