Google is set to release Android Q sometime in the coming weeks, and today the company is inching one step closer to that launch with the release of Android Q Beta 6, the final update planned before the stable release.
The 6th and final beta is basically a release candidate, which means that if no major bugs are found, this is pretty much the version of Android Q that will be released to the public soon.
It includes the final version of Google’s API 29 SDK and other tools for developers preparing for the release of Android Q, and Google has also released system images for Google Pixel devices and the Android emulator.
Among other things, Android Q includes support for a system-wide dark theme, support for gestural navigation, support for the AV1 media codec, networking improvements, and native support for devices with foldable displays.
Google says the latest release also includes “further refinements to Gesture Navigation” including a sensitivity preference for the back gesture and a 200dp vertical app exclusion limit for the back gesture.
You can try out Android Q Beta 6 by enrolling an eligible devices in the Android Beta program, or by downloading a system image or OTA image for supported Pixel devices.
Within minutes of Google’s announcement, Essential also announced that Android Q Beta 6 is now available for the Essential PH-1, which has a track record of consistently being second-in-line (just slightly behind Google’s Pixel devices) for Android updates.