Google, today, has released Android Q Beta for its Pixel smartphones. Having support that extends back to the original Pixel series, download Android Q Beta firmwares for your device with this article. It was long rumored that Android Q would be seeing its initial launch in March and now its official. Being a beta, the only way to install it on supported smartphones is by downloading the files from ahead and manually flashing it like you do with any official firmware release. This is a preliminary beta release so it is expected that there might be some initial bugs and glitches.
Android Q is a direct step up from Android Pie (Android P) of before. There are numerous changes which Google has integrated to make this release the best of Android till date. Unlike naming it Developer Preview, this time around, Google has gone with calling it Android Q Beta. We would hope to see more Betas come out with newer features as was done with previous releases. Ahead, we have attached all the download links for Android Q Beta for Pixel, Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 smartphones. Further, official changes have been listed as well.
Android Q Beta – New Features:
Last time around, Android P brought support for Notch / Cut-out displays. Similarly, Google has acknowledged foldable display technology with Android Q. Developers can now make apps that work better with new foldable screen hardware. Further, there is a strong focus on location settings and privacy with Android Q as well. Users can now use an option “Allow location only while the app is in use”.
Here are all the key features for Android Q Beta:
Foldables and innovative new screens
Foldable devices have opened up some innovative experiences and use-cases. To help your apps to take advantage of these and other large-screen devices, we’ve made a number of improvements in Android Q, including changes to onResume and onPause to support multi-resume and notify your app when it has focus.
Giving users more control over location
With Android Q, the OS helps users have more control over when apps can get location. As in prior versions of the OS, apps can only get location once the app has asked you for permission, and you have granted it.
More privacy protections in Android Q
In Android Q, the OS gives users even 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. For developers, there are changes to how your apps can use shared areas on external storage. Make sure to read the Scoped Storage changes for details.
Dynamic depth format for photos
Many cameras on mobile devices can simulate narrow depth of field by blurring the foreground or background relative to the subject. They capture depth metadata for various points in the image and apply a static blur to the image, after which they discard the depth metadata.
Download Android Q Beta Images
As for now, the only ways to get Android Q Beta, you can either setup an Android Studio Emulator or you can download any one of the following images to flash them on actual hardware or sign-up with the Beta program to get OTA directly.
Here are the official download links available for Pixel smartphones:
Download system factory image for Pixel 3 XL (crosshatch): Download Android Q Beta
Download system factory image for Pixel 3 (blueline): Download Android Q Beta
Download system factory image for Pixel 2 XL (taimen): Download Android Q Beta
Download system factory image for Pixel 2 (walleye): Download Android Q Beta
Download system factory image for Pixel XL (marlin): Download Android Q Beta
Download system factory image for Pixel (sailfish): Download Android Q Beta
