Google has unleashed the second beta for Android Q today, just under a month after the first beta rolled out.
The second beta does bring some new features for Android Q, though none of them are mind-blowing features. Those will be kept under wraps until Google I/O next month in Mountain View. As is usually the case for Google.
New features included in the Android Q Beta 2 build include some new multi-tasking gestures, new bubbles for the system-level, as well as a number of other minor things. Users are noticing that the battery icon has also received a face-lift, as well as the volume control panel getting some changes. This is pretty common for Google. The big changes to betas come in the first beta, then the beta released at Google I/O (typically the second beta, but this year it’s the third beta), and then the final build before the stable build. As that is where Google will get rid of stuff that isn’t ready and possibly launch some new things.
Within these beta’s, Google will typically test out some new features that may or may not be part of the final build, when that comes out later this year. Currently, Google is targeting the third quarter for the stable build of Android Q. In the past few years, Google has released it around August. So don’t get your hopes up about a lot of these features, as they may indeed be gone before the final build of Android Q hits the Google Pixel or another smartphone later this year.
Overall, the second beta is not a huge change from the first one, but a number of bugs do seem to have been fixed. Making it a bit of a better experience for a daily driver. Though, it should go without saying that you should never install a beta version of Android on your daily driver. This is because it is going to be filled with all sorts of bugs and other issues. Some of which could cause you to not get phone calls on your phone – which kind of defeats the purpose of having a phone.
The second beta of Android Q is available now and works on all of the Pixel smartphones. That includes the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. It’s impressive that Google got Android Q to work on all six of these smartphones. Particularly since the Pixel and Pixel XL were only supposed to get two years of updates, which would have been up before Android Q comes out in the third quarter.
You can download Android Q Beta 2 at the links below. If you are already in the Android Beta Program, you should be getting an update notification within the next couple of hours – if you don’t have it already. With the Android Beta Program, it is sending out updates over-the-air, so you won’t need to worry about flashing new updates. Though that is still possible if you wish to do so.
Android Beta Program