Android Q is almost here, and Google’s Beta 5 is rolling out now. There are no notable new feature additions in this build, but there are some feature regressions and/or extensions. To lead with the bad first, if you’d like to user gestures, say goodbye to third-party launchers for now. While OEMs and Google have worked on making their stock launchers more powerful and customisable, it’s also become harder for stock launchers to compete with them. In this build, Google confirms it’ll be pulling gestures from third-party app launchers until a future update. That is to say; when Android Q rolls out, third party launcher users will see Androids former 3-button layout.
Now, the good news. Google is making it easier for users to navigate back. With the addition of the new gesture layout, the back swipe and the hamburger gesture conflicted with each other. Now, Google is making it so that a deliberate swipe activates the hamburger, while a quick swipe takes you back. This is a tad more user-friendly and allows boh gestures to co-exist while allowing for speedy motivation around the user interface.
Finally, Google is adding gestures that will let users launch the assistant by swiping either from the bottom left or bottom right simar to how Huawei and other third-party OEMs handle it.
Android Q Beta 5 is rolling out now. Users can expect to get it OTA on their Pixels by the end of the day.
Coverage: 9t05Google, Android Police