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Android Q Beta 3: How to enable and use Android Q’s fully gestural navigation

With the release of Android Q beta 3 yesterday we’ve seen yet another revision to gestural navigation on Android. The newest effort certainly shows promise, but it might take longtime Android users some time to get used to it.

If you are taking the plunge and installing the Android Q beta, you aren’t thrown into the deep end by starting out with the fully gestural navigation enabled, so if you are looking for the full Android Q experience you’ll need to enable it first.


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Android Q Beta 3: Here’s how to force every app to use dark mode, including Google Assistant

Google Assistant dark mode

Dark mode is one of the biggest new features in Android Q, but as with any new feature, a lot of its success relies on developers. It seems Google is taking this into its own hands, though, as there’s a developer option in Android Q Beta 3 that forces all apps to use a dark mode theme, and it even works on Google Assistant.

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Android Q Beta 3: Classic three-button navigation arrives on Pixel 3

One of the big gripe users had with Android Pie was the debut of Google’s new gesture navigation system. Many weren’t a fan of the system, and they were especially unhappy when Google’s Pixel 3 forced them into it with no way to revert back to the classic three-button navigation setup. Now, with the 3rd Android Q beta, that option is back.


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Android Q cover

Scoped Storage will be optional, beginning with Android Q Beta 3

When Android Q Beta 2 rolled out to our beta-enrolled Pixel devices, we noticed that many apps were unable to function as they once could. This is partly because of a new restriction placed on apps, called Scoped Storage, that changes the permissions needed to access certain files. In response to developer feedback, Google is making Scoped Storage optional in Android Q, starting with Beta 3.


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Here’s what the Android Q Beta 2 patch fixes (and breaks)

Android Q Beta

For a second beta update, Android Q Beta 2 brought a shocking number of impactful changes for Google’s next release. Today, the company has released a patch update for that version which fixes a few glaring problems from the update. Here’s everything we’ve found that the Android Q Beta 2 patch fixes. We’ll continuously update this post, and drop comments to let us know if you’ve found anything.


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Android Q adding support for ‘deep presses’ similar to iOS’s 3D Touch

Android Q cover

As many have noted, Android hardware has a tendency to follow the trends of Apple’s hardware. The clearest example of this is the prevalence of display notches, following the release of the iPhone X. It seems this trend has the potential to continue with the next generation of Android phones, as Android Q is adding support for “deep presses” on the touchscreen, loosely similar to the 3D Touch capabilities found on recent iPhones.


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Android Q Beta 2: ‘Notification Assistant’ to help manage your notifications, default app can change

Android Q Beta 2 Notification Assistant

Between all the bigger, more exciting features launched in yesterday’s Android Q Beta 2, one that’s gone relatively unexplained is the new Notification Assistant setting, which claims to help you manage your notifications. We’ve deciphered some of the documentation to help give you a better idea of what to expect from the new Notification Assistant apps that may be coming to Android Q.


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Google releases Android Q Beta 2 GSIs for Project Treble devices, user beware

Android 10 cover

The Android Q Beta has thus far only officially been available for Google’s own Pixel phones, unlike last year’s Android P Beta which launched on a significant number of non-Pixel phones. While other OEMs haven’t launched their beta programs yet, Google has provided an Android Q Beta 2 GSI that can be flashed to some non-Pixel phones, thanks to Project Treble. However, you probably shouldn’t install it just yet.


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