Android Q Beta 2 is Now Available

Three weeks after the Beta 1 release, Google has announced that the second beta of Android Q is now available.

“Today we’re releasing Android Q Beta 2 and an updated SDK for developers,” Google vice president Dave Burke announced. “It includes the latest bug fixes, optimizations, and API updates for Android Q, along with the April 2019 security patches.”

It also includes our first look at some new Android Q features, including:

Bubbles. Described as a new way to multitask, bubbles allows apps to “bubble” up content while the user is using another app or moving between experiences. You’ve probably already seen some Android bubble-like functionality in the past—Facebook Messenger is a good example—but in Android Q, bubbles is being formally built-in to the OS on top of Android’s notification system.

Foldable phone in emulator. Developers wishing to test their apps on a coming generation of foldable phones can now do so via a new foldable phone device emulator in Android Studio.

Privacy improvements. Google will make various privacy improvements throughout Android Q, but for Beta 2 it is focusing on changes to Scoped Storage, by which apps can use shared collections for documents, photos, and other content. Basically, new permissions will be required.

There’s more, but check out the official post for the details.

If you’re already testing Android Q, you’ll soon get an over-the-air (OTA) update for Beta. (Which I’m not yet seeing on my Pixel 2 XL). If you want to start now, just head over to Android Beta website and enroll your device. All three Pixel generations are currently supported.