Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL flagships received the Android 9 Pie update in August, 2018. The next major and exciting update for these flagships is Android Q.
As most of the users know, Google has been developing the tenth anniversary version of Android for a long time. Very early builds of Android Q leaked recently and given a glimpse at the most awaited Night Mode and revamped permissions. According to latest leaks through XDA developers, the Search Giant is going to release the first preview version of Android Q on March 11th. The bug tracker of Android Q just came online, so most likely in a few hours, we will see the first preview of the tenth anniversary edition of Android.
When will Pixel 2 get Android Q Beta ?
The first Beta of Android Q might be available for limited number of Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL users. Only registered Beta users will receive the Android Q Beta as soon as Google released it. So if Google released the Beta today, then the registered users will start receiving the Beta update notification few hours after release. As this is a preliminary release of Android Q, the next Beta or Preview may come at the Google I/O 2019 which is going to begin from May 7th.
What new Features coming with Android Q Beta
One of the most requested features from Android users is Night mode and Google implement Night mode to some extent in Android Pie. However, in Android Q, the Search Giant has introduced full system wide dark mode, according to leaked builds. As the developments is still going on, the dark mode may become better in upcoming Betas.
Permissions is another improved area, Android Q beta is coming with new permissions which give granular control to user and improvements to privacy.
Another enhancement coming with Android Q is Desktop mode, which is restricted to Samsung and Huawei flagships at this moment. The guys at XDA find references regarding Desktop mode in Android Q. So we expect Desktop mode support will come to Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL with Android Q Beta.
In Android Q, warning appear when the user install apps designed for older android versions. So App developers will update their apps targeting Android Q in Playstore.
Update on 8/8/2020 :
The final cum sixth Beta of Android Q is now live, Google announces the last Beta of the upcoming Android update, few hours ago. The rollout for Pixel series and Essential Phone has just begun and we are digging inside the latest Beta to know what’s new. Till now, we find no notable changes except the Back button sensitivity option as rumoured earlier. The user interface has been polished and it seems nice compared to the earlier Beta.
In Beta 6, users can find a gear icon besides the Gesture navigation option in System navigation section in Settings menu. On tapping the icon, users can adjust the Back sensitivity through a slider. Other minor changes in the Beta 6 include Darker Autorotate button at the bottom-right corner of the screen, new Emergency button in the Power Menu. Google posted in the official blog that there will be no major changes in the final version of Android Q apart from fixing of any bugs if discovered. In a few weeks, the final version of Android Q and its code name will be announced.
Update on 11/7/2020 :
Google begins pushing out the Android Q Beta 5 yesterday for registered Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL device users. However, the OTA update has been pulled very soon after due to unknown issues with installing the update, according to the official post in Reddit. The version number of the update is QPP5.190530.014 and contains final APIs and SDK for developers.
The prime features of the update includes return of snoozing of notifications, customizations of lockscreen notifications, dark boot screen for Pixel series devices and so on. Since the update rollout has been paused, we are unable to get more details about the Beta 5. We hope the rollout will be resumed in coming days for Pixel devices. The last beta cum Beta 6 is due to come in last week of July or early-August.
Update on 5/7/2020 :
It seems that the fifth Beta is leaked early before its official rollout. A Pixel 3 user in Reddit claimed to have received the Android Q Beta 5 update recently and now 9to5Google confirmed that the rollout is legit. The screenshots leaked through 9to5Google reveals that a Back button sensitivity setting is coming to Android with Beta 5. The Pixel 3XL device in screenshots shows that the version number is QP1A.190626.001 which is different from the earlier version number begining with QPP. The device has received even August’s Security patch, according to the screenshot. So it seems the build is a very internal one and leaked accidentally.
The system navigation page in the build shows a Gear icon besides the Gesture Navigation options which seems to be renamed from Fully Gestural Navigation in the earlier beta. Tapping on the Beta shows Back sensitivity slider ranging from low to High and also shows warning that High Back sensitivity will conflict with the Gestures along the edge of the screen. According to the user received the update, Gesture navigation is working much smooth in this update. More details about the feature will be revealed once Google finalized the update and starts rolling out.
Update on 24/6/2020 :
The Android Q fourth Beta with finalized APIs arrived on June 6th, but caused bootloop problems in some Pixel devices. So the Search Giant stopped the rollout and fixes the problem. On June 12th, Google has announced that the rollout is going to begin and the registered Pixel users will receive the update of version number QPP4.190502.019.
The new Beta comes with Face Authentication entry in the Settings Menu which hints towards unlock the device by face recognition feature. So it seems that Google is trying to compete with Apple’s Face ID with the new feature which may come with Android Q. The feature helps to make payments by face authentication and face unlock. The Beta also includes screen attention feature which prevents dimming of the screen while the user is looking at the display. The feature is similar to Samsung’s Smart Stay and Apple’s Attention Aware features. Another significant change in Beta 4 is the padlock icon on lock screen moved from bottom to top of the screen.
Update on 12/5/2020 :
The Search giant announced the third Beta cum first developer preview of the tenth edition of Android at I/O 2019 on May 7th. The Beta is on its way for the registered Pixel users and many tech giants like Sony, Nokia, Huawei, LG are going to rollout the Beta for their select flagships soon.
As we expected earlier, Google pushed out the full-system-wide dark mode in the third beta. When the user enables the dark mode, it automatically enable dark themes in apps too. App developers can develop their own dark themes or opt for the automatic dark theme by Android. Other enhancements include native support for 5G, TLS 1.3, improved Digital wellbeing with parental controls, revamped navigation and many more. Privacy options got a lot better in this beta compared to earlier versions. We will update soon with more features in a few days, as we are still digging inside the Beta.
Update on 5/4/2021 :
On 3rd, April, the Search giant released the Android Q Beta 2 with build number QPP2.190228.021 and also includes April month’s security patch. The OTA rollout for Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL devices has started soon after the release. So registered Pixel 2 owners will get the Beta 2 update notification very soon. As per the road map, we will see the next beta in early May and most likely, Google may unveil it at I/O 2019.
The second Beta contains several fixes for the bugs which have made the first Beta unstable and not suitable as daily driver. The Beta 2 sports many exciting features like Bubbles, bar on Google Music notification etc. Using the Bubbles feature, users can chat and multitask very easily. The chat heads can be collapsed when not in use and users can chat using multiple apps simultaneously in Android Q Beta 2, because of Bubbles. Google may refine the feature further in the next Beta. In the mean time, we will dig deep inside the Beta 2 to reveal any other changes.
Update on 13/3/2021 :
As the earlier rumours claimed, the Search Giant released the first Beta of Android Q today and the rollout has been extended to original Pixel and Pixel XL devices, because of popularity and demand, according to Google. Dave Burke, the VP of Android Engineering posted on the official blog about the features of Android Q Beta and which Google devices are going to receive the update. So Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners can head to Beta program registration and receive the update through OTA (Over The Air) very soon.
It seems that the Search Giant is planning to drop six betas of Android Q before final release to sort out any bugs. The final release will happen in Q3 of 2019, according to Google, but it may happen in early August, as usual. More details about the First Beta of Android Q for Pixel 2 will be revealed soon.
We will update this article soon with more details about Android Q Beta for Pixel 2 series.
