Some Android Q Beta devices are randomly rebooting as part of Mainline test

With Android Q Beta 3 at Google I/O, Google introduced Project Mainline, which aims to bring faster, more consistent updates to various parts of Android via the Google Play Store. Today, reports have been coming in that users of the Android Q Beta are seeing a random, spontaneous reboot happen on their phones, apparently related to Project Mainline.

While many of Android Q’s benefits are visible, especially the long-awaited dark theme, one of the more exciting benefits is Project Mainline. Simply put, Mainline transforms the Google Play Store into an almost all-in-one hub for updates on Android, whether app updates or system updates.

As the feature was only just launched properly with Android Q Beta 3, there’s still a significant amount of testing that needs to be done before rolling it out to devices everywhere with Android Q later this year.

According to a number of users, via Android Police, this testing has kicked off with a bit of a rough start. Some users are reporting that their devices on Android Q Beta 3 rebooted out of the blue, often while in the middle of a task. Once booted back up, the phone would have a notification informing them of exactly why the device rebooted.

This aggressive test was, of course, met with backlash from the community, as devices should never be forcefully rebooted, even ones enrolled in a beta test. In response, it seems Google may have briefly paused the Mainline system, as users (including our Dylan) are now reporting receiving notifications about a Mainline update supposedly being available but not being able to install it.

Android Police was told by Google that this aggressive test is something that will only be seen in the Android Q Beta and is not something Mainline will do when Android Q is stable.

We spoke to some engineers while at Google I/O who assured us that Project Mainline will not force users to reboot, as we’re seeing today. In fact, for most users, Mainline won’t even prompt you to reboot your device, like other operating systems do when updates are ready. Instead, Mainline will simply queue up the updates your device needs and apply them the next time you reboot for any other reason.

Was your device spontaneously rebooted today because of the Project Mainline update test? Let us know in the comments.