Android Q Beta Stories September 3, 2019
The past couple of releases of Android have seen the power menu become more of a utility with things like an emergency button. Now, in Android Q Beta 4, we were able to enable a new section in the Pixel’s gestures menu which points to Google Pay cards being added to the power menu.
Android Q Beta Stories August 14, 2019
So here we are on the last public developer preview build of Android Q before the full stable release, and it addresses a few complaints, issues and more to make it — expectedly — the most complete version of Android Q that we’ve seen thus far.
Android Q Beta Stories August 9, 2019
Android Q is quickly approaching its final release with the final beta version dropping earlier this week. For Pixels, that beta still didn’t include a new Easter egg, but it’s a different story on the Essential Phone. That Android Q beta release holds a new easter egg.
Android Q Beta Stories August 8, 2019
With Beta 6 yesterday, Google offered a near-final look at what navigation will feel like when Android Q launches in the coming weeks. Some users are still unhappy about the choices, with the Android team today publishing a “backstory” explaining gesture navigation.
Android Q Beta Stories August 7, 2019
Google has been taking a lot of feedback on gesture navigation from the brave folks who have been testing it in the Android Q Beta releases. With Android Q Beta 6, Google is making gestures just a little bit more seamless by hiding the navigation bar on the home screen.
Android Q Beta 6 brings us ever closer to the official launch of Google’s next mobile operating system this quarter. We’re enrolling in the Beta Program and sideloading the OTAs right now to explore all the tweaks and near final iterations of the UI and features, so stay tuned to our updating (reverse chronological) list below.
Android Q Beta 6 just dropped this afternoon. While the update will be heading out over traditional updates to those enrolled in the beta program, here’s how to skip the wait by sideloading the Android Q Beta 6 OTA on a Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 2, or Pixel device.
Google today released the final preview of Android Q before it starts rolling out to consumer Pixel devices later this quarter. Android Q Beta 6 is the “release candidate for final testing” and makes more gesture tweaks.
Pokemon Go now works on Android Q Beta w/ latest update
Android’s beta programs always break a few things, and Niantic’s popular apps rarely work on the updated versions. Pokemon Go players have been asking about the game working on Android Q for quite some time, and we’re happy to report that it’s finally working.
Android Q Beta Stories August 6, 2019
[Update: Now official] Android Q Developer Preview 4 released for OnePlus 7/7 Pro
Android Q Developer Preview 4 is now rolling out to OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro devices right now, right off the back of the third recent Q taster download.
Android Q Beta Stories August 5, 2019
Android Q Beta 5 now available for the Nokia 8.1 w/ July 2019 security patch
Outside of the rare early release like we saw from OnePlus last week, security patches and Android Q Beta builds arrive on Google’s Pixel devices first, with other OEM devices following some time later. Almost a full month after the release of Android Q Beta 5, HMD Global is now rolling out an updated developer build to their Android One-powered Nokia 8.1, one of the best affordable Android phones on the market.
Android Q Beta Stories July 26, 2019
With the launch of Android Q Beta 5 earlier this month, Google also announced that it was planning a Reddit AMA for developers. That session with the Android engineering team is taking place next week on r/AndroidDev.
Android Q Beta Stories July 23, 2019
General Mobile attempted to pass off community build as official Android Q beta
When Google rolled out Android Q beta to the first — and so far only — wave of non-Pixel phones, there were companies who were left out of the action. General Mobile, an OEM based out of Turkey, was among these, but they decided to take matters into their own hands by using an Android Q build from the developer community.
Android Q Beta Stories July 16, 2019
Ahead of World Emoji Day tomorrow, Google is sharing the complete set of new emoji launching with Android Q later this year. There are 65 in total, as well as 53 gender-inclusive designs detailed in May.
Android Q Beta Stories July 12, 2019
Aside from a slight hiccup on its release, Android Q Beta 5 has been a pretty stable build as we await the final beta in the next few weeks. However, some users have been concerned by notifications that apps are being given unlimited access to location data, but this is a deliberate test by Google ahead of Android Q’s final release.
Android Q Beta Stories July 11, 2019
We found a ton of new changes in Android Q Beta 5 yesterday, but there are still changes hiding behind the scenes. Today, we’ve spotted that Google is now using the Settings Panel feature to make it a bit easier to adjust settings on notification channels with Android Q.
Android Q Beta 5 rolled out to devices today via OTA updates on beta-enrolled Pixel phones. It seems an issue has cropped up for a number of users, and Google has subsequently announced that the OTA update rollout of Android Q Beta 5 has been temporarily stopped.
Android Q Beta Stories July 10, 2019
Android Q Beta 5: Password Autofill gets a slight redesign w/ rounded corners
Google first added a handy autofill tool for passwords back in Oreo and it hasn’t been changed much in the time since. In the latest Android Q Beta 5 release, Google has slightly tweaked the look of autofill, and there might be some minor performance improvements too.
Leading up to Beta 5’s release this afternoon, one of the biggest changes we’ve been watching in Android Q as a whole has been the new gesture navigation. With Beta 5, it’s clear that gestures have been the biggest focus for Google, and that shows in the end product.
The two largest goals of Android Q are to bring gesture navigation to Android and make dark mode more prominent. One way that early Android Q betas let you make things easier on the eyes was to “force” apps into using dark mode, and now Beta 5 is bringing back the dark mode override.
Gestures are the clear focus of Android Q Beta 5, and Google Assistant sees a lot of attention in this update as well. One subtle change Android Q makes is to show new instructive prompts when a user starts to open the Assistant either with a gesture or the Pixel’s Active Edge feature.
Android Q Beta 5: Notification snoozing can be disabled, now off by default
After four fairly eventful releases, Android Q Beta 5 primarily consists of smaller, iterative changes. One of these, instead of adding a new feature, actually turns an older feature off by default. As of Android Q Beta 5, notification snoozing has a new toggle in the Settings app that defaults to “off.”
The biggest annoyance from Google’s new Gesture Navigation in Android Q is the back gesture. While the motion itself makes sense, it breaks the app navigation drawers that are a staple of the platform. In Android Q Beta 5, “peeking” aims to help fix that problem with navigation drawers, but if you ask me, it’s not worth it.
Android Q Beta 5: Screen pinning now works with Gesture Navigation
Google’s latest version of gesture navigation is such a departure from anything that’s been in Android before that it’s actually broken a lot of the functionality in the operating system. One feature that was broken was Screen Pinning, and now after being disabled temporarily, the feature is back in Android Q Beta 5 with Gesture Navigation.
Android Q Beta 5: Pixel 3 boot animation gets a dark theme [Gallery]
The major theme of Android Q has been crafting dark themed experiences that are easier on the eye than blazing white light. The latest build of Android Q, Beta 5, dropped today and brings dark theme to a new, unexpected location, the Pixel 3 boot animation.
Android’s notification system has been pretty great for a long time now, but in Android Q, Google has been tweaking it even further. With the arrival of Android Q Beta 5, notifications now get a clear “silent” mode which splits them into a second section of the overall notification shade.
Android Q Beta 5 brings us even closer to the official launch of Google’s next mobile operating system in the coming months. We’re enrolling in the Beta Program and sideloading the OTAs right now to explore all the tweaks and near final iterations of the UI and features, so stay tuned to our updating (reverse chronological) list below.
When Android Q’s fully gestural navigation system first debuted, one of the things we didn’t know was how Google intended to have us launch Assistant. That later became clear, and now in Android Q Beta 5, Google is making it more obvious how to launch Assistant with a couple of gesture “handles.”
How to sideload Android Q Beta 5 OTA on Google Pixel devices
Android Q Beta 5 just dropped this afternoon. While the update will be heading out over traditional updates to those enrolled in the beta program, here’s how to skip the wait by sideloading the Android Q Beta 5 OTA on a Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 2, or Pixel device.
With Android Q Beta 5 today, Google is very close to finalizing the next major version of its mobile operating system. This is the first “release candidate for testing” and makes several updates to gestural navigation.
[Update: Live] Android Q Beta 5 adds toggle for turning off Wi-Fi scan throttling
Over the past couple of years, Google has made a lot of changes to permissions and APIs in Android for a variety of reasons. Back in Android Pie, the company started throttling apps that performed Wi-Fi scanning, but in Android Q, the company is slightly walking back that change.
Android Q Beta Stories July 9, 2019
Full gesture navigation blocked on third-party launchers in Android Q Beta 5
One of the biggest improvements made to the Android Q Beta program is the “fully gestural navigation” method. It takes the half-baked Android Pie semi-gestures and adds a little of what makes the iOS gestures so fluid. But if you plan on using a third-party launcher in future, it appears that you won’t be able to use full gestures on Android Q Beta 5.
Android Q Beta Stories July 8, 2019
Another Pixel owner has apparently gotten their hands on the next beta for Android Q. With this latest build, we’re getting a quick look at how Google has optimized Assistant on Android Q, specifically with a new animation and hint for the gesture to activate it.
Android Q Beta Stories July 3, 2019
Android Q is expected to see two more betas before it publicly launches in Q3 2019. The last update arrived in early June, but an unreleased build of Android Q has now leaked with one key improvement to gestural navigation.
Android Q Beta Stories July 2, 2019
Android Q has a surprising number of additions hidden within, and one of the biggest is the new gesture navigation system. Today, a Googler has confirmed that in Android Q Beta 5, gesture nav will be tweaked again to better support app navigation drawers.
Android Q Beta Stories June 21, 2019
[Update: OnePlus 7, 7 Pro too] OnePlus 6/6T Android Q Beta 2 rolling out now
While the Android Q Beta 2 has already hit Pixel devices, the developer preview is now rolling out to OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T devices.
Android Q Beta Stories June 17, 2019
[Update: Pocophone F1] Xiaomi confirms that 11 devices will get Android Q-based MIUI 11 by Q1 2020
Xiaomi has confirmed that it’s Android Q-based MIUI 11 will head to 11 devices by Q1 2020. [Now stands at 13 with the Pocophone F1 expected to get MIUI 11].
Android Q Beta Stories June 11, 2019
Android Q code corroborates Soli-based ‘Aware’ feature, likely for Google Pixel 4
Following 9to5Google’s report that Project Soli could debut with the Google Pixel 4, possible uses for the radar chip have emerged. Android Q already features code that describes an “Aware” sensor responsible for gestures to control music.
Android Q Beta 4 arrived last week and delivered a lot more changes than we anticipated, but it also caused installation problems for quite a few Pixel owners. Now, Google has posted updated versions of those images, and it’s also pushing out a new OTA.
Android Q Beta Stories June 7, 2019
For a fourth beta out of many, Android Q’s latest release delivers a lot of new stuff. Just behind the scenes, Google has added on to the “Adaptive Sleep” feature that popped up in Android Q Beta 3, now calling its “Screen attention.”
Android Q Beta Stories June 6, 2019
It’s amazing that we’ve already reached the fourth iteration of the Android Q Beta program. Beta 4 is now here and it brings with it a ton of updates, improvements and overall feature enhancements to really whet the appetite ahead of the next release. expand full story
Digital Wellbeing is Google’s take on the Time Well Spent movement that launched last fall on Android and other major services like YouTube. On the mobile OS, the App Timers feature will soon be easier to set from the Pixel Launcher, and now Android Q will do a better job warning about upcoming countdowns.
Android Q Beta 4: WiFi icon gets a redesign, new shortcut for Network settings
Among the other visual changes Android Q brings, there are some slight updates to icons and such throughout the system. One of these is the new WiFi icon in Android Q Beta 4, and there’s also a functional update with a new shortcut for network settings.
Android Q Beta 4: System-wide ‘slide-up’ transition is now a ‘zoom’ effect
Google has made a ton of functional changes to Android Q, but there are also some visual updates as well. In Android Q Beta 4, Google trades the “slide-up” transition animation that’s been used for quite a while with a new “zoom” animation.
Google’s new Fully Gestural Navigation system is a massive departure from anything Android has had in the past, and that means the Q Betas are going to have a lot of tweaks and fixes before the final release. In Android Q Beta 4, Google makes some thoughtful tweaks to gestures when dealing with specific scenarios.
One handy feature Google brought to Android a few years ago was Screen Pinning. The feature made handing your phone over to another user a bit more comfortable since they couldn’t leave the app with the feature turned on. Now, with Android Q’s new gestures, Google has disabled Screen Pinning since it’s not (yet) compatible.
Android Q Beta 4 just dropped a few hours ago and it packs a ton of great changes within. However, this latest Android Q beta update is apparently failing for some Google Pixel owners upon installation.
Android Q Beta Stories June 5, 2019
Among the fine-grained changes made with Android Q Beta 4, Google has also enabled a fairly in-depth technical preview for developers to try out. The feature, called Dynamic System Updates, allows you to temporarily run a different version of Android on your device.
