Google debuted a radical overhaul to gestures in one of the most recent Android Q Beta releases, and its main issue has been how it messes up the hamburger menu in most apps. Now, with Android Q Beta 4, Google is showing how developers and users how apps should treat the back gesture.
While today’s Android Q Beta 4 update may not seem to have changed too much visually, it appears there may be a lot more going under the surface. The latest example of this is that “Smart Lock” may be getting rebranded to “Pixel Presence” on Google Pixel devices with Android Q.
Notifications have been a point of focus for Google in Android Q, and Beta 4 gives the settings interface an overhaul. Now, Android’s notification settings are not only more clearly organized, but there are also some new features including “Adaptive Notifications.”
One of the biggest new features Google is testing out in Android Q Beta 4 is “Bubbles” for notifications. While the functionality isn’t supposed to be user-facing in the final release, it’s now in preview in Android Q Beta 4.
The date and weather widget on Pixel devices is subtly bolder than it used to be. You can see this extremely minor change in the image above — on the left is Beta 4 while the right is Beta 3.
Android Q Beta 4 today brings us closer to the official launch of Google’s next mobile operating system in Q3 2019. We’re enrolling in the Beta Program and sideloading the OTAs right now to explore all the tweaks and near final iterations of features, so stay tuned to our updating (reverse chronological) list below.
In the first Android Q Beta Google strangely and unexpected limited users to swiping notifications away in just a single direction. While a toggle was later added, Google has ditched the decision entirely and brought back the ability to swipe notifications away in either direction with Android Q Beta 4.
Google officially unveiled the Android Q Dark Theme at I/O 2019 last month. With Beta 4 today, Google is making several tweaks to the system and Pixel Launcher’s implementation that helps with legibility.
The Android Q beta was opened up to a bunch of new devices back at Google I/O, and nearly two years after its release the Essential Phone was on that list. Today, barely an hour after Google released it for Pixel devices, the Essential Phone also picked up Android Q Beta 4.
Android Q Beta 4 is rolling out today, and some new hidden settings in the latest version of the Settings app have some details on Android Q face authentication. Not only does it suggest that “Face authentication” will indeed be a security feature when Android Q officially launches later this year, but offers some details on how it will work as well…
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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.
The first Android Q Beta finally delivered some limited theming capabilities to stock Android with options to switch up fonts and accent colors. In the Android Q Beta 4 release, Google has added a few more colors to choose from.
One of the absolute best additions to Android Pie back when it was in beta was the contextual rotation button. With the new gestures Google debuted in Android Q, that rotation button was killed off seemingly with no return, but in Android Q Beta 4, it has returned.
Android Q Beta 4 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 4 OTA on a Pixel 3, Pixel 2, or Pixel device.
At I/O 2019, Google announced a slew of changes to Android Q and unveiled the high-level tentpole features. Android Q Beta 4 today takes a notable step towards launch in Q3 with final APIs and Play Store publishing for developers.
Android Q is currently in beta with a plethora of devices from Google and OEMs alike. Over the past day, however, we’ve noticed that the Huawei Mate 20 Pro has been removed from the Android Q Beta page amidst the unfolding trade issues plaguing the company.
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.
Back at Google I/O 2019, it was confirmed that the OnePlus 7 series would pick up support for the Android Q Beta program. Now, OnePlus has released the first Android Q beta version for both the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro.
Now that Android Q is in the hands of far more users, thanks to Google bringing Beta 3 to over a dozen non-Pixel devices, a lot of folks are just getting acquainted with the new features we’ve covered in the first two betas. Unfortunately, Google also made some of the experimental features, hidden behind “feature flags,” like native screen recording support, harder to access. So here’s how to enable screen recording in Android Q Beta 3.
RCS is barely available, but even for those it’s been activated for, it can easily be broken. In the latest beta for Android Q, some Pixel users are finding that RCS is broken. Thankfully, there might be a simple fix.
We’ve seen Google add a number of Pixel-exclusive features, and now in the latest Android Q Beta 3, there are hints of a potential car crash detection mode.
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We reported earlier today that the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL will remain on the March security patch until next month. The Android Beta Program has now been updated to note that the latest Made by Google devices won’t be eligible until June.
Google introduced a new set of gestures in Android Q, and they’re pretty cool. Those who had a negative opinion of Google’s previous “pill” system have already given the company credit for this new system, but it’s not quite perfect. Here are a couple of quick tips for Android Q’s Fully Gestural Navigation.
We’re halfway through the Android Q Beta phase, and with Beta 3 we’ve had some solid introductions but we’ve unpacked a few of the core additions and features to the latest update.
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