If you have a Google Pixel series phone be ready to download the latest version of the OS (the operating system), Android Q Beta 4. Go into the ‘System’ of your Setting’s app, then tap ‘Advanced’ and ‘System Update.’ With the new Android Q API, the devs from Google can now make apps for the OS that can use characteristics like ‘Dark Theme’ or ‘Suggested Actions.’ These are clues of Google finishing the build of Android Q.
Android Q Beta 4 New Features
The System navigation button
Google reconsidered the use of the System Navigation button, as they replaced this characteristic in Android Q with the new gesture navigation. It will be back in Beta 4 as a tiny button in the bottom left corner of the screen. It will appear in that corner when you rotate your phone to landscape it and will make the process of turning the display easier because you won’t have to pull down the notification shade anymore.
Updates to the back arrows were made as the color will now change between white and black when you’ll pull from the side of the screen, providing more contrast.
The notifications controls
Google made the notifications of Android Q Beta 4 to swipe in only one direction. In beta 3, swiping in the other direction gives you the possibility to stop that kind of notification or make it appear silently. Introducing the swiping in both directions, you will now have to tap and hold on the notification for the menu to show.
In Android Q Beta 4, the notification controls names changed and you will now have the ‘Prioritized’ and ‘Gentle’ icons in the Notifications Settings to help you have a clue about what you’re checking. And if it’s not enough, there will be a new ‘Adaptive Notification’ that will allow the notifications to be prioritized automatically. If it’s not important enough, it will set the notification to ‘Gentle,’ hiding it in the status bar. Yes, you will have more control over your notifications!
System themes and colors
Be ready, as Google has new colors you can choose from the system’s ‘Accent color’ settings. With the previous beta version being cheap on colors and only having ‘Purple’, ‘Black’ and ‘Green’, you’ll be able to pick from ‘Cinnamon’, ‘Black’, ‘Green’, ‘Ocean’, ‘Space’, ‘Orchid’ and ‘Purple’ and, as a bonus, the widget will be gently bolded.
It seems like grey is the new color for Google because of their choice to now replace the dark themes from dark blacks and dark greys from beta 3 with lighter shades of grey. Before the update, the apps were white colored, and now each will have a particular color. Even the lock icon was moved from the bottom to the top of the screen.
With all these new characteristics for the Android Q Beta 4, we bet that you will have a great experience with it as the phone will be more colorful and easy to use. Unfortunately, the new Android Q Beta also rolled with some bugs, but a fix is already on its way.
Dorothy has been a journalist for ten years and has been working with the Tech News Watch staff since the beginning of the news site. Her main contribution to Tech News Watch are mobile, IT and science news, with a focus on software updates and great outer space discoveries.
Leave a Reply