Something to look forward to: The future of Android is shaping up as Android Q nears developer preview status. Now it is just a waiting game until Google pushes out the latest build to developers and enthusiasts, which could happen any day now leading up to Google I/O in May.
Major versions of Android have been released in August for the past few years now, but that does not mean its too early to be thinking about Android Q. The next major update to Android is expected to transition to developer preview status as early as today.
A Google developer or someone with insider ties has already run Geekbench on a Pixel 2 that is reporting Android Q as the operating system. According to staff at GSM Arena, the Android Q Developer Preview will launch during Google I/O conference May 7, but the folks over at AndroidAuthority are calling for a release as early as today due to a bug tracker showing a date of March 11 as the day that public reports will be accepted.
Google Pixel series owners will be able to download and install the Android Q developer preview on their phones. However, anyone interested in beta testing for Google should know that there could be significant bugs that cause major headaches. Please use your own discretion in deciding whether it is worth the hassle of running an unsupported version of software that is all but guaranteed to have problems initially.
Incoming features of Android Q could include a proper gesture navigation system, an improved dark mode, more changes to app permissions, a full desktop mode, native screen recording, and possibly RCS support for third-party apps. A more comprehensive list of features will be available once the developer preview is available for analysis.