Items tagged with android q
Android fans looking forward to trying out the next beta edition of Android Q can download Beta 5 today. To get the beta operating system, the users do have to be in the Android Q Beta Program. Beta 5 is the first release candidate for devs to use for testing apps before the final version of Android Q launches this summer. There are a couple of notable changes in Beta 5; the corner-in gesture to activate the Assistant is now official. Google has also rolled in a new "peek" behavior for the back gesture that will work better with apps that feature slide-out navigation drawers. That latter change is an important one because it fixes a problem with the edge swipe to go back that conflicted with...
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The risk with installing beta software is that it is unfinished code, and as such it may contain bugs, sometimes showstopping ones. That was the case with the initial roll out of the Android Q Beta 4 release. Some users had issues installing the update, and so Google took it offline for a bit. Well, it's now available again, presumably with a few less bugs this time around. "We’ve resolved the issue that was affecting some users when updating to Beta 4, and we’re resuming updates to all Pixel devices today. Thanks for your patience!," Google stated on Reddit. Google says it is pushing out the new Android Q Beta 4 update (QPP4.190502.019) to all enrolled devices, including those that...
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It's been nearly a month since we last came across a credible Google Pixel 4 rumor, and now another report is throwing everything we thought we knew about the phones into disarray. OnLeaks, which usually has a pretty good track record with regards to smartphone leaks, has posted new renders of the Pixel 4, and they are unlike anything that we've seen in the past. The gadget leaker partnered with Pricebaba for the renders, which are allegedly based on "early prototyping schematics". Unlike the last renders we saw of the alleged Pixel 4, this latest iteration actually still has physical buttons for power and volume controls. We can't see much up front other than an...
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For developers and enthusiasts looking to get an early taste of the next version of Google’s Android operating system, the release of new betas is always a highly-anticipated event. And while there's always the promise of cool new features and performance enhancements, there's always the possibility that things could go wrong with this early software -- after all, it is still in beta. Such is the case with Android Q Beta 4, which first landed earlier this week. Almost immediately, Pixel owners began complaining about problems with the over-the-air (OTA) update. Many users said that the Beta 4 update failed to install and, in some cases, put them into reboot hell. Others were cast...
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Google is getting oh-so-close to release the major version of Android, still just called Android Q, to the public. How close are we talking about? Google has begun pushing out the Beta 4 release of Android Q, which contains finalized APIs and the official SDK, for a last round of testing, before launching the real deal "later in the summer." There is not a set release date yet, but we anticipate it will come out in August, rather than at the tail end of summer in September. Following the last round of beta testing, Google will move on to issuing release candidates. "With the developer APIs finalized and release candidate builds coming soon, it’s critical for all Android developers to test...
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Google has made a splash over the last month with the launch of the new mid-range Pixel 3a and 3a XL smartphones. The devices have up to $600 in incentives to get users to trade in iPhone and other devices to get the new smartphone. We've talked about Android Q before with its focus on privacy and a slew of other new features coming. Google is reportedly working on another new feature for Android Q that might not come to everyone. This feature is automatic car crash detection. References were found to the new feature in the Android Q Beta 3 Safety Hub app. A string in the app reads that the car crash detection function will "automatically launch an alert activity when the device detects you are...
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As expected, the bigwigs in Mountain View rolled out the third beta of Android Q at Google I/O 2019, giving us a broader view of what the next major version of Android will bring to the table. We still do not know what exactly it will be called—Queen of Puddings, perhaps?—but here are some of the more notable additions introduced in the latest beta. To begin with, Google said it's been focusing on three themes, those being innovation, security and privacy, and digital well being. "We want to help you take advantage of the latest new technology—5G, foldables, edge-to-edge screens, on-device AI, and more—while making sure users' security, privacy, and well being are always...
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Google I/O isn't scheduled to kick off until tomorrow, but Google has announced an update for it Android Auto infotainment system ahead of schedule. Perhaps tomorrow's event is just too jam-packed full of awesomeness to include Android Auto, but for whatever the reason, there's plenty of new stuff to talk about. For starters, Android Auto is getting a new look with a new "dark theme," which likely foreshadows a similar design aesthetic that will come to Android Q on the smartphone side of things. Google says that this darker color palette is "easy on the eyes" and should allow the UI to better blend in with your vehicle's interior (many of which feature black or dark grey upper...
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The annual Google I/O event is right around the corner, as in tomorrow, and Google is expected to announce a bunch of new stuff. One of those will be a beta of a new major build of Android, as is now customary at these events. But Google also has some new hardware on the horizon that we expect will be unveiled tomorrow. Here's what to expect. Android Q To start with, Android Q Beta 3 is bound for a launch at Google I/O 2019. Google rolled out the first beta for its Pixel phones in March, followed by a second beta in April. Those introduced things like better privacy controls, pop-up setting menus (similar to 3D Touch on iOS), and so forth. It's not clear what exactly the third beta of Android...
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We've been hearing about Android Q for a few months now. In February, we learned that Android Q might kill the back button in favor of gesture control. Last month the Android Q developer preview landed with support for folding displays. There is a lot to look forward to with Android Q, but there are a few things that developers aren't happy about. One of those things was a new requirement having to do with scoped storage. Scoped storage changes how apps can access the external storage of the smartphone. The problem for Android users was that any app could read and write files to external storage. Files in external storage are the sort you can see when you plug your phone into a PC. The problem...
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Although there were suspicions that the first Android Q beta would drop on Monday, that day came in went. Luckily, we didn't have to wait much longer as Android Q Developer Beta 1 is now available to download. Google isn't providing a lengthy list of tangible, user-facing features that are the hallmark of all new Android releases, but it is detailing new developments that are happening under the hood. For starters, Android Q is placing a heavy emphasis on privacy, which is something that Apple has made it a point to criticize every chance it gets. Android Q puts further limits on access to device location data, and when an app requests location data a new prompt will be presented...
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The next version of Google's massively popular mobile operating system is expected to be called Android Q, and we've already seen plenty of leaks regarding the features we can expect to see when the OS lands. One of the big rumors is that Android Q will eliminate the back button in favor of using gesture control. One thing we didn't know is when the operating system will land for users to try out. It appears the first chance for Android fans to try out Android Q could be today according to the bug tracker for the beta. The bug tracker for the Android Q beta has just opened up, and in that tracker, a date filter was discovered with today's date: March 11. There is no indication given as to what...
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I recently upgraded to an iPhone XS Max (and spent way too much doing so), and much to my surprise, I don't miss the home button like I thought I would. It hasn't taken long to get used to system-wide gesture controls. Interestingly enough, Android may be making a major change as well—a pre-release build of Android Q suggests the back button may go the way of the dodo bird, in favor of gestures. Android is not without gesture controls already, of course. In Android 9 Pie, Google replaced the three-button navigation system with a two-button scheme, with the recent apps button getting the axe. It also introduced new navigation controls as a whole, such as the long press of the pill to launch...
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If Google sticks to its past release cadence, we can expect the company to announce a developer preview of Android Q, the next major version of its mobile operating system, in March, followed by a public beta a couple of months later at its Google I/O convention. As those time periods draw closer, more details are starting to leak out about Android Q. One of the things we are looking forward to the most is a system wide dark mode. This is something users have been asking for, and it was ultimately passed over in Android Pie. As it has been implemented in a leaked (and very early) build of Android Q, users will have the option of enabling it all of the time, or having dark mode come on automatically...
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