Back in August we reported that Android had rebranded and ditched update names based on desserts, and today marks the release of Android 10, aka Android Q. Well, that's not entirely true, as it's only debuting if you own a Google Pixel.
The change in name has some good reasons, according to the
Google Blog, where the Google VP of product management for Android - Sameer Samat - explained that it "helps make release names simpler and more intuitive for our global community". But what are the features?
Dark Mode is finally coming, and so is Gesture Navigation, more privacy options, and a "shut notifications down" mode, very fittingly called Focus Mode.
There are many bug fixes too, and also an override for blocking apps for letting you go back by swiping. Android Beam - NFC P2P sharing will not be implemented, so the question is if it's going to be replaced.
Security is a major concern, and with the update, Google has blocked many devious tracking methods from various apps, including those that - despite you saying no - still sniffed out your MAC address and your phone's IMEI number and stored it.
Apparently support for foldable phones is also in there, as well as 5G and the option for critical security updates without the need to do a normal and full update of the program.
We are looking forward to trying it, hopefully before 2020, and you can find the entire specification list here.
Is Android 10 a step up?