Here's a quick look at what's new in beta 4 of android q. As we inch ever closer to the August release date of Android Q were starting to see fewer big sweeping changes to the next version of Android. But there are still some major points of interest to talk about.
First off, the pixel 3a Series joins the Android beta program for the first time. These were kind of available for the first round of launches of the pixel 3a but they were shortly pulled after release, now they're officially supported.
Second the iPhone style gesture navigation system introduced in the last version of Q has been tuned up a little bit in this latest release. The physics are a little bit more fluid and we can probably expect to see some further tune ups as Q approaches final release status. interestingly this gift released by Google at the same time to show how gesture navigation will eventually work on Q doesn't quite match what we have now in the current beta. so it seems like there's still room for things to change around a little bit and the new back gesture is still pretty annoying in third-party apps with side-scrolling hamburger menus but at least you can't go back to the old three button set up if you want, Plus in google apps, like the Play Store, there is an exclusion area so you can still use those hamburger menus, let's hope.
Third-party apps are updated pretty quickly after launch cause otherwise this is gonna be a major pain point
Speaking of swiping you can once again swipe in any direction to get rid of notifications. this change basically reverses the addition in earlier queue betas of a swipe to either the left or right side opening the notification options. now you can just swipe halfway and tap like you could on Android Pie and a full swipe in either direction will dismiss the notification.
Also some quickfire changes that are pretty interesting not seeing this one on our devices but tear downs by XDA have shown references to face authentication in beta 4. it's been a long time coming and so at this stage it would not surprise me at all to see some flavor of face unlock in the pixel.
Google's digital well being feature is now tied directly into the recent menu so you can see how much time you've got remaining before going into an app.
If you're into customization you'll find new options for accent colors and fonts hiding in the developer settings menu as with all hidden settings options though, there's no telling if this will go away or be expanded in future releases and smartlock which dates will we're back to lollipop and lets you keep your phone unlocked while it's on your body at a trusted location or connected to a trusted Bluetooth device might be rebranded soon as pixel presence possibly a hint at google doing something more with multi-layered ambient security in future pixel devices and the good old manual rotation control is back. it now exists as this little floating thing that you can use even with fully gestural navigation, it's a great option to have. If you're frustrated by auto rotation and of course having it as a floating button means the navigation part doesn't need to be gigantic. there's not long now of what Android q is ready and stable for all pixel owners to enjoy and of course until we finally find out what that Q actually stands for.
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