Whatever it ends being named, the time has come to say hello to Android Q and even though it might feel like it was yesterday its time to say goodbye to Pie. Google has launched the first developer beta, Pixel phone users will be the first that can wave goodbye to last year’s Android Pie and say hello to Android 10, only if you are too eager to use an unfinished beta version, else you can wait till August- yeah that’s when the full version is expected to launch.
You expect Google to showcase some of the features of Android Q on May 7 at Google IO 2019 at the company’s keynote in Mountain View, California. But why wait for Google IO, thanks to the beta version we have a list of features it will have and smartphones or tablets it will support.
Google has laid out a plane for six stages in six months before the final release of the Android 10, including the initial release, three incremental updates, one with final API’s and official SDK and then the full version.
Well, not every Phone will get the Latest Android Update. Basically, the old phone which was released in 2016-17 won’t get the Update. The reason is basically the Hardware of the old phones. The rollout to other Android phones will happen throughout 2019 and even into 2020 as various manufacturers add their own features and interfaces to the operating system. There’s a chance you’ll have to wait months after the initial Android Q release before you see the OS update on your device.
While Android Q beta 1 hasn’t yet revealed too many features, but it pretty much expected that the full the version will come out with some really cool features hidden in the developer’s option or even in the deepest software code. With the recent leaks from XDA developer’s site and the update from Android Developers Blog, privacy, all system dark mode, enhanced system settings, connectivity, handy gestures are some of the features likely to be there.
With privacy being the major concern with Android Q, Google is implementing some new features for users to have more control over apps, controlling access to shared files. Users will be able to control apps’ access to the Photos and Videos or the Audio collections via new runtime permissions. For Downloads, apps must use the system file picker, which allows the user to decide which Download files the app can access, states Google.
Allowing the users to customize their phones to the fullest extent is what marks the key feature of android and with Android, Q lined up for the launch something exciting can definitely be expected on this front as well. What beta 1 tells us is that you can change the accent colour of the entire UI. The options right now include the default blue, green, purple, and black. While it’s entirely possible Google could remove this in future beta or with the final release, the addition of this and the dark mode lead us to believe that Android Q will have a big focus on allowing users to really make Android their own.
Android’s share menu has always been an area discussed a lot, there’s nothing wrong with the basic functioning but it’s the time it takes to open, no matter which you use. Thankfully this being taken care of in Android Q as Google clearly mentions in its blog spot, saying that “the share UI can load instantly when it’s launched” since the shortcuts are “published in advance”, but in day-to-day use, we have a feeling this will be one of Q’s best additions. Speaking of sharing, Android Q also introduces something called “Sharing Shortcuts.” A Sharing Shortcut allows developers to create a new option in the share menu that will share a file/photo/etc. in a specific part of another app much faster than before. And the most requested feature for the android: in-built screen recording is live in the first beta of Android Q, it is functional and allows you to natively record a video of your screen with an optional voiceover and visual indicators for your taps on the screen. It is expected to be implemented in a more user-friendly way when the full build version comes in, but it is there and that’s what is exciting the users.
That’s all we’ve got for now, but new details will surely come up in the coming beta versions, at Google IO 2019 in May and from any leaks in between if any.