Here’s Everything to Check Out in Android Q Beta 2
Android Q Beta 2 is available now and it adds a new set of features for beta testers to try out.
Most of Google’s big changes are affecting the Android UI in this release. These include new gesture controls, app control options, new notifications and changes to the overall design, but there are a few system-level changes as well.
While it’s fair to assume that most of these new features will likely make it into the final build of Android Q when it’s released later this year, they may look and act differently in the final product – after all, Android Q is still in beta testing stage. If you’d like to try out the beta yourself, check out our guide on how to sign up for the Android Q beta. Otherwise, here’s a quick overview of what’s new in this release:
New notifications
Application bubbles
One of the biggest changes in the second beta is the Android Q bubble notifications. They resemble the “chats” feature in Facebook Messenger or the Android call bubble. These bubbles will appear for app-specific notifications, acting both as notifications and shortcuts to open apps.
According to Ars Technica’s research on developer beta settings, developers need to enable the bubble feature so apps can use it by default. (However, users can force all apps to use bubbles through the Android developer settings.) The only app natively supported in beta is a sample app that allows users to “communicate” with animals. Animal responses are delayed, so bubble notifications appear when the app is closed.
SeekBar
All notifications for media apps now display the SeekBar. It is integrated directly into the notification card and shows both the current time and the total track / media length. Unlike the bubble feature, many apps already support this new feature (at least in part). Some applications allow you to use the search bar to skip playing media files, while others display it only to display the current playback position and time remaining.
Notification Assistant
Located in the Android Settings tab, this new feature allows the operating system to read your notifications and adjust them based on certain factors. These include the order in which they appear, automatically deferring notifications that you do not need to see at the moment, and adding contextual actions to the notification card — for example, adding a Reply button to a text notification.
New interface and navigation capabilities
Gesture control
Android Q beta 2 adds new gesture controls for navigation in addition to changing or removing others.
- Swipe left or right on the Home button: Switch between open apps without using the Recent Apps tab.
- Long swipe on the home bar: Opens the Google search bar.
These new controls seem to replace the ability to swipe back to the left on the Home button, which was in an early build of Android Q. Android developer settings also have a hidden feature that enables the iOS-style gesture bar, but this is currently does not work.
Customizable notification swipe
Similar to the new gesture controls, users can change their preferred swiping direction to close notifications. In the opposite direction, buttons will now be displayed to snooze and block certain notifications.
New volume and Wi-Fi buttons
- A button has been added to the bottom of the volume controls that expands into a larger slider window.
- The Wi-Fi switch will turn on your phone’s wireless capabilities and open a list of available networks.
New icons
Android Q adds a new dynamic battery icon to the user interface. The middle part of the icon will become transparent as the battery level decreases.
Returning rectangular screenshots
The screenshots taken in the previous beta build of Android Q mimicked the shape of your device’s screen – like notches and / or rounded edges – but with Android Q Beta 2, they’ve reverted to rectangular screenshots.
Built-in support for Dual Sim Dual Standby (DSDS)
The latest major addition to Android Q is not a user interface change, but device functionality. It looks like the final version of Android Q will allow dual SIM users to use their devices on two networks at the same time, thanks to DSDS. This feature currently has limited support from carriers, but the settings present in Android Q indicate that you will be able to choose which SIM to use for certain features, including texting, mobile data, and phone calls.