Nokia is one of Google’s partners for Android Q beta program. HMD Global has announced that its Nokia 8.1 smartphone is amongst the first to get Android Q Beta 3, as that Android Q build is now available for download from the company.
Google had announced yesterday that Android Q Beta 3 is available to a number of devices, and that over a dozen OEMs joined the Android Q Beta program. Nokia joins the likes of OnePlus, Xiaomi, and a number of other smartphone manufacturers.
Nokia was actually a part of the Android P Beta program as well, as the Nokia 7 Plus was amongst the first to get a beta build of the Android 9 Pie last year. If you do own the Nokia 8.1, and would love to try out Android Q Beta 3, hit the link included below this article. Once you do that, you will be required to sign up for the developer program, and from there the company will give you all the necessary instructions and the necessary files to flash on the device.
Do keep note that you will be required to flash Android Q Beta 3 on the Nokia 8.1 in order to use, and if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing (not following instructions), there is a chance you will brick your phone. Also, flashing Android Q Beta 3 will delete everything you have on the Nokia 8.1 now, that includes your whole OS, files, and so on. In any case, proceed at your own risk.
Google has brought a number of changes with the Android Q Beta 3. First and foremost, the dark theme is now available, a system-wide dark theme. This will not only darken up the system, including the notification shade and settings, but it will also affect some of Google’s applications by bringing dark theme to them as well as part of the feature.
The company has also introduced a brand new gesture navigation system with Android Q Beta 3. A thin line replaces the “pill” on the bottom of the display, and the back button is no longer available. Instead, you can swipe from edges of the display in order to go back. You can also swipe across that thin line in order to switch apps, while swiping up will take you home. If you swipe up and pause, you will enter the overview / multitasking screen.
Google has also added Suggested actions in notifications, and also Prioritized notifications, which provide you more control over notifications. These are only some features / changes introduced with Android Q Beta 3, of course.
It’s interesting that HMD Global opted to include the Nokia 8.1 in Android Q beta program. This is one of the company’s best mid-range devices, and it makes sense as the Nokia 7 Plus was enrolled last year, but some users were probably expecting the Nokia 9 PureView to be listed instead. It is still possible that the Nokia 9 PureView will be added at some point, though.
The Nokia 8.1 was announced back in December last year, and it is fueled by the Snapdragon 710, one of Qualcomm’s best mid-range processors. The device features a 6.18-inch fullHD+ display, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Android 9 Pie comes pre-installed on this phone, and the device is a part of Google’s Android One project.