Google To Add More Smartphones To The Android Q Beta List In 2019
Each year Google announces changes and upgrades in its Android Operating System (OS) at its developer’s conference called Google I/O. Last year, it surprised the audience by announcing that the Android 9 Pie Beta will be made available for smartphones other than the company’s own Pixel lineup. This step was taken in order to curb Android Fragmentation, which means an alarming difference in the various available Android versions in the market. Fresh reports claim that the company is planning on adding more smartphone OEMs to this list for the year 2019 with the upcoming Android Q Beta update.
Android Q Beta
Google is expected to announce the first Android Q Public Beta at the Google I/O event which will be held in the month of May this year. The update will bring about significant changes in the design and usability of the OS. Previous leaks suggested that with the next version, the company is planning on removing the back navigation button completely in favour of new gestures; which will be used to navigate around the UI. Last year, it added smartphones from different OEMs which were eligible to get the first Android P Public Beta. Those devices included:
- Sony Xperia XZ2
- Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
- Nokia 7 Plus
- Vivo X21
- Essential Phone PH-1
- OnePlus 6
- Oppo R15 Pro
A senior Google executive was noted saying the company will add a host of new smartphone OEMs to the list of devices supporting Android Q Public Beta. Unfortunately, as of now it is not known which devices will be added to the list but speculated names include smartphones from Motorola, Samsung, LG and Huawei. The brands from last year will be retained and their latest devices are also expected to be provided with the update.
Also read: Qualcomm Demands US$ 31 Million In Damages From Apple
The Android Q Public Beta update is being provided with the help of Google’s Treble project. It was released with Android 8 Oreo in the year 2017 and separated the chipset maker from the update process. This was aimed at streamlining the software updates, which differed drastically with each brand. This initiative of adding more smartphones to the beta update list by Google aims at fixing the issue of fragmentation in Android. It will be announced at the upcoming Google I/O, which will take place from May 7 to May 9 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in California, USA.
