Google drummed up a lot of excitement last year when it announced all the Android handsets that were eligible for the 9 Pie operating system. But this time, it’s expected to roll the beta version out to an even wider range of smartphones in 2019 - making this year the biggest rollout in history.
This move is part of a wider effort from Google to make it easier and faster for Android users to update their devices, an initiative named Project Treble.
What new features will Android Q have?
Here are a few of our favourite features that Google confirmed will be on Android Q, according to its recent Android Developers Blog post.
Foldable support.
Android Q will be offering support for "foldables and innovative new screens". This is more of a back-end feature for developers, but it’s still exciting news for anyone thinking about getting a foldable phone when they become available - at least we know for sure that Google is making plans for them!
Better privacy, more protection.
Android Q is going to boost your privacy options big time. You’ll have more control over app access, sharing location, microphone access and lots of other stuff you might want to keep private. About time too.
Face ID-style authentication for logins and purchases.
If your phone has the kind of hardware capable of scanning your face, Android Q might have some cool new features to support it. It's unclear just how this will work, but according an uncovered piece of XDA developers text, you’ll be able to “use your face to unlock your phone, authorise purchases, or sign in to apps."
How can I install Android Q beta?
If you like the idea of being an early adopter and trying out Android Q beta, you'll find information on how to do it on this Android developer's webpage. It's quite straightforward if you've got a Google Pixel phone, and a little more tricky if you haven't.
It's also worth remembering that you'll be trying out an unfinished operating system. Any beta version is a work in progress, so the odd thing might not work as expected.
If you don't want to install an unfinished beta, you can expect to download the finished version of Android Q in August sometime, according to Google's official developer beta timeline. So it's not too long to wait, right?