Latest Android Q update for Pixel and Android jEmulator and Android W developer APIs and SDK tools Explored
On the 10th of July, The VP of Engineering of Android, Dave Burke announced the launch of Android Q Beta 5. He specified that the developer APIs has been finalized in the previous update and that it was about time they pre tested the apps for compatibility and made sure they are good to go!
He went on to specify that the users can enroll here to get Beta 5 on Pixel devices and if the users had previously enrolled and had received Beta 4 on their Pixel devices, they will be automatically updated to Beta 5. And this includes the Beta program partners so rest easy.
Basically what Beta 5 update carries is the latest Android Q system images for Android and mainly the Pixel jEmuators along this also includes the final Android Q developer APIs and SDK, the build tools for androids studio. These are the essentials when it comes to testing your apps on Android Q system and when you built with Android Q features.
General navigation updates for the Beta 5 release includes a gestural navigation system that lets apps use the full screen of a device for content all the while minimizing the visible navigation chrome window. This has become an important feature when it comes to today’s screen specs and in Beta 5 they have managed to improve it even further.
More update features include a swipe gesture from either corner to summon Google Assistant and the indicators will pop up in the bottom corners. This feature is still in the works for better tuning though.
For apps that uses a navigation drawer, they have added a peak behaviour. And for custom launchers, they have focused on optimizing stability and overall performance even more. Beta 6 seems to presumably give users the feature to use 3 button navigation when they use a custom launcher as default.
You can install the app from Google Play to an Android Q Beta device or emulator and then begin testing.
After that, you can test the Android Q privacy features. For example, Background activity, new location permissions, etc.
Test for restricted non-SDK interfaces and then move on to public SDK or NDK.
Test the system libraries and SDKs in your app. Make sure it runs as intended without issue on Q. If found any compatibility issues, I suggest submitting a ticket to android developer forum.
Recommended settings for Apps:
For this, I recommend using google play testing tracks.
You only need to enroll any supported pixel or android device to get the update. For more information, visit android.com/beta.
Dev Dave also announced that they will be doing an extra Beta 5 release before the consumer launch therefore do keep a lookout. I highly recommend keeping an eye out for r/androiddev for the latest android Q beta 5 update info.
Read more…