Google releases Android Q Beta 6 with last-minute updates

Highlights of the News:

• Google has released it’s Android Q beta 6 Update today.
• The official launch of Android Q is expected to take place in Q3 2019.
• Beta 6 new update comes freshly resolved of bugs and other issues.
• Navigation Gesture has also been updated with new gestures.
• API 29 SDK has been finalized in this latest update.

As soon as the news of Google releasing Android Q beta 6 hit the internet, people from all over the world were excited to see what this new beta 6 update will have over beta 5, released in July. 

Beta 6 is announced to be the final update for Android Q which will be officially launched in Q3 2019.

The final Beta has arrived with its bag full of surprises for the users and developers. What was missing or was an issue in beta 5 is now provided and fixed in Beta 6. Let’s have a look at what Beta 6 has to offer.

What’s new in Beta 6?

When it comes to addressing all the Android Q features, the list is a long one. However, we can have a glimpse of a few features that were updated and fixed for the final version. 

The APIs for developers were finalized in Beta 4, meaning Beta 5 and now Beta 6 is mainly about eliminating bugs and giving the final touches to the Android Q masterpiece. The update includes the latest Android Q system images for Pixel and Android Emulator. Build tools have also been updated for the Android Studio in Beta 6. Moreover, API 29 SDK has been finalized in this latest update.  

An engineer in the Google Android Developer Relations Team, Chris Banes said “The behavior of the exclusion APIs are changing. You can request what you like, but the system will now only honour X amount from the bottom (currently 200dp)”.

Let’s now look into the most-awaited and interesting feature update of Android Q Beta 6: Navigations Gesture.  

Navigations Gesture is one incredible feature that is keeping the users and developers on their toes. There is a 200dp vertical app exclusion limit for the Back gesture. With that, the sensitivity preference setting for the Back gesture has also been added to render a smooth functioning. Google claimed that these changes are “based on user feedback”.

Chris also tweeted addressing navigation drawers “The drawer behavior is changing. Users will be able to open the drawer by peeking the drawer, and then swiping. Big benefit is that this works with existing apps with “old” DrawerLayout versions.”

How to get Beta 6 update?

If you wish to taste this latest update yourself, you can enroll here. Well, it is not much of a task as you only need to enroll your Pixel device once. 

If you’re already enrolled and had received the Beta 5 update, you’ll receive Beta 6 today or soon automatically. Partners joining the Android Q Beta program will also be updating their devices over the coming weeks.

As for the developers, if you need to start exploring Beta 6, you will first have to download the official API 29 SDK and other tools into the final release of Android Studio 3.4. After that, simply follow the instructions to configure your environment. Also, make sure to see the release notes for anticipated issues. 

In addition to Google, Apple is also preparing to unleash its phenomenal iOS 13 version. So, we can pretty much surmise the enthusiasm of the people to see who will take home the winning title― Android Q or  iOS 13.