Android 10: Everything you need to know
We know everything about the next big Android operating system update, Android 10, which has been publicly released as of September 3 - but only for Google Pixel phones at first.
The latest major update was introduced as Android Q at Google IO 2019 but has been officially rebranded as Android 10. Sorry, dessert names - switching to numbers is easier for global users to grasp.
Android 10 has been officially released, but that doesn't mean it's available for all phones just yet. Each OEM must develop their own version of the update for each phone and work with carriers to release it, which can take months. Don't be surprised if your handset doesn't get Android 10 until 2020.
Of course, the Google Pixel phones get the latest version on launch day - and surprising no one, the Essential phone is also getting day one compatibility in select markets, according to this tweet.
Below is a full list of all the phones that have Android 10 thus far.
We're getting a better idea of the new Android 10 features to come thanks to the beta of Google's mobile operating system. Additional features and bug fixes have come with all the beta releases up through the sixth and final beta that came out in early August.
Some of the changes are confirmed, while others remain rumors. Here's what you can expect ahead of the official Android 10 release date in August.
Read Also: Google Search Console API Changes in 2019
The sixth and final beta doesn't add much - mostly bug fixes and optimizations - but it does allow apps to semi-disable the swipe-to-go-back gesture.
In essence, apps can block the gesture from working on a certain part of the screen (specifically. there’s now a “200dp vertical app exclusion limit for the Back gesture"). But it won't block the gesture from working entirely - we'll have to see if that exclusion zone is large enough for users to keep from accidentally wiping out of an app (say, when they're gaming) when they expect not to.
The update from Google and other manufacturers is free. If you are asked to pay to update it is likely to be a scam.
The majority of the apps on your phone will work as normal. Some may need small updates for full compatibility, but many of those apps have already received the necessary updates including from companies such as Samsung for support of its smartphone accessories on other company’s phones.
One feature Android 10 won't have is Android Beam, the NFC peer-to-peer sharing method when two devices are nearby. Placing phones back-to-back will do nothing in the beta and final software, we confirmed at Google IO.
Will Google replace Android Beam with another peer-to-peer sharing method? That remains to be seen. We may have to wait until the final Android 10 release date to see it, or maybe when the Google Pixel 4 launches (excepted in October).
A report from the International Computer Science Institute found that over 1,300 apps on the US Google Play Store routinely scraped personal data from users even if explicitly denied by relevant permissions settings.
App makers have been using multiple clever workarounds to get the info they wanted: if a user set their permissions to not share location data, the apps took their MAC address from routers connected to the phone. They stored the device-identifying IMEI number accessed by one app and shared it with others. They even determined user locations with image metadata.
Google is reportedly fixing these issues with the full release of Android 10 in August, though presumably not in any planned beta beforehand.
Android 10 is preparing for foldable phones in 2019, or "foldable and innovative new screens," according to the Android Developers Blog post.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold – while it was in our hands briefly – seamlessly switched between the folded and unfolded screen states. By Google natively supporting this type of UI continuity in the backend, it'll likely come to more foldable phones when they launch with Android 10 on board.
For developers, Android 10 beta 2 includes a 'foldable emulator' in Android Studio 3.5, according to Dave Burke, Google's VP of Engineering.
You've seen the bubbles UI before if you've used Facebook Messenger chat heads. It's an easy way to keep active conversations on-screen as small floating profile pics while going about your normal tasks in the rest of the interface. You can tap the pic when you want to switch back to the conversation.
Google is supporting this idea throughout Android 10 and calling it a new way to multitask. So far, its examples are coming to Messages and Hangouts. But Google is reducing development time, interactivity consistency, and user privacy safeguards, so expect to see it in additional apps outside of Google's ecosystem.
There's a system-wide dark mode coming to Android 10 and it's called Dark Theme. We've tested in out at Google IO and it works as intended, but needs to roll out to more of the menus. So far it's limited to the settings menu. It's very early.
You'll be able to trigger Dark Theme in two different ways, and both are in the notification shade. The first way is with a dedication Dark Theme quick settings button that switches between the default Light Theme and new Dark Theme.
The second way is to turn on a Battery Saver mode, which automatically turns on Android 10 Dark Theme. This is a boon for phones with OLED screens, which will burn fewer pixels by essentially turning off pixels in regions of the display that are intentionally black.
The Android Developer Blog post announcing the developer beta confirmed a heavy emphasis on boosting privacy in Android 10, a focus that was reaffirmed in the Google IO 2019 keynote.
Users will have more control over app access to location info, shared files and repositories like Photos and Videos. Another helpful change: instead of apps automatically switching focus when they have an Activity in the background (like an alarm or call), appmakers can opt to send high-priority notifications first.
Android 10 beta 3 also introduced a new feature – Scoped Storage – which allows users to control how apps access external storage (say, in a MicroSD card). It will also better protect users from being identified by restricting access to non-resettable device identifiers, like your phone's serial number and/or IMEI, and randomizing its MAC address when connected to different Wi-Fi networks.
These might be some of the most onerous changes for developers in Android 10, which is why, as the Android Developers Blog post reads: "We are bringing these changes to you early, so you can have as much time as possible to prepare."
via GIPHY
Another new endeavor announced at Google IO 2019 is Project Mainline, which enables Android devs to update critical parts of Android (so-called 'modules') without a full software package – and critically, without a full update from OEMs.
These surgical upgrades download in the background from Google Play and load them up whenever the phone next reboots. They will mainly be used to improve privacy and security, though the Android Developers Blog post also mentions game developers will use it to update modules for consistent platform implementation.
All devices that can run Android 10 will be able to get Project Mainline.
Android 10 has some particular tricks up its sleeve for 5G. New APIs will enable apps to detect user connection rate and latency, as well as detect if the connection is metered.
This will give developers more refined control over how much data to send to users, especially when they have poorer connections or have data-downloading limits.
One of several accessibility features announced at Google IO 2019, Live Caption does what it says on the tin – captioning video and audio in real-time. The feature doesn't require an internet connection, transcribing text from the device's own speech recognition and NLP.
On the Google IO 2019 stage, we saw Live Caption used in combination with Live Transcribe to input incoming audio to text, then have a user text a response which was spoken. In the demonstration, the combo – called Live Relay – allows a texting user to interact on a phone call without ever speaking a word.
The last accessibility feature coming to Android 10 is Project Euphonia, which aims to improve Android's verbal recognition to better process words spoken by users with speech impediments.
There are also tweaks to connectivity, including 'adaptive Wi-Fi' that enables high performance/low latency modes, which would be useful for things like online gaming or voice calls.
Like all the depth and blur in Pixel camera software? In Android 10, apps can request depth data (JPEG + XMP metadata + depth and confidence map) to, say, offer "specialized blurs and bokeh options in your app," as the Android post suggests. "You can even use the data to create 3D images or support AR photography use-cases in the future."
Android 10 will also support more multimedia codecs: AV1 to let media providers stream high-quality video, Opus for audio encoding, and HDR10+ for high dynamic range video "on devices that support it" – like, say, the Samsung Galaxy S10 family.
As for gaming, the Android 10 beta enhances support for OpenGL along with bug fixes and more functionality.
Android 10 will revamp permissions, from the general to specific, and we've heard that users will be able to better view what info they've shared.
Here's what we don't know for sure, but have heard about: per the aforementioned XDA Developers leak, users will be able to look at a broad overview of which apps they've given permission for certain things, like location or microphone access. There's a search function that lets you filter by permission item, allowing you to quickly see which apps you've given access to your camera, contacts, location and so on.
You can also look at permissions each app has been granted and toggle them individually to set whether access is off, on, or only on while the app is open.
This is the easiest and generally preferred way to upgrade to Android 10, as you don’t have to reinstall anything.
To upgrade to Android 10 on your Pixel, head over to your phone’s settings menu, select System, System Update, then Check for update. If the over-the-air update is available for your Pixel, it should automatically download. Reboot your phone after the update has installed, and you’ll be running Android 10 in no time!
If you don’t want to wait for the OTA update or want a clean slate, we’ve got instructions for you on how to install Android 10 via factory images and OTA files.
Flashing Android 10 on your device takes more time and work than the OTA method. If you don’t want to install the over-the-air update for some reason, you can sideload the factory image or OTA file manually. Here’s how to do it:
Google has already posted Android 10 factory images and OTA files for all four Pixel phones. You’ll need to download the proper file for your device before you get started.
Now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. The first thing you have to do is unlock your phone’s bootloader by following the step-by-step instructions below. It’s easy to do and does not require lots of technical knowledge. Unlocking the bootloader will wipe all the data off your device, so make sure you back it up first.
Flashing Android 10 on your smartphone is pretty straightforward, but you can still run into problems if you don’t carefully follow the instructions listed below.
For whatever reason, not everyone has luck with the Flash-all scripts. If they fail for you, there’s another way. It’s actually pretty simple. First, make sure you are still in the proper bootloader state and connected to your PC. On your PC you’ll want to type the following:
The latest major update was introduced as Android Q at Google IO 2019 but has been officially rebranded as Android 10. Sorry, dessert names - switching to numbers is easier for global users to grasp.
Table of Content
- What is Android Q? It's the next version of Android
- When can you get Android Q beta? Download Android Q beta 3 now
- When will Android Q launch in full? Probably August
- How much will the Android Q cost? It will (assumedly) be a free update
- How to install Android 10 — a step by step guide
Android 10 release date
- March 13: The first Android 10 developer beta has launched
- April 3: Android 10 beta 2 gave us bugs fixes and app bubbles
- May 7: Android 10 beta 3 launched at Google IO 2019
- Early June: The final incremental update, beta 4, land in June
- July: Beta 5 and beta 6, release candidates, land this month
- September 3: The public version is released - though not all phones get it on launch day
Android 10 has been officially released, but that doesn't mean it's available for all phones just yet. Each OEM must develop their own version of the update for each phone and work with carriers to release it, which can take months. Don't be surprised if your handset doesn't get Android 10 until 2020.
Of course, the Google Pixel phones get the latest version on launch day - and surprising no one, the Essential phone is also getting day one compatibility in select markets, according to this tweet.
Below is a full list of all the phones that have Android 10 thus far.
- Google Pixel 3 / Pixel 3 XL
- Google Pixel 3a / Pixel 3a XL
- Google Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL
- Google Pixel / Pixel XL
- Essential Phone
Android 10: what's new
We're getting a better idea of the new Android 10 features to come thanks to the beta of Google's mobile operating system. Additional features and bug fixes have come with all the beta releases up through the sixth and final beta that came out in early August.
Some of the changes are confirmed, while others remain rumors. Here's what you can expect ahead of the official Android 10 release date in August.
Read Also: Google Search Console API Changes in 2019
Beta 6 (Final)
The sixth and final beta doesn't add much - mostly bug fixes and optimizations - but it does allow apps to semi-disable the swipe-to-go-back gesture.
In essence, apps can block the gesture from working on a certain part of the screen (specifically. there’s now a “200dp vertical app exclusion limit for the Back gesture"). But it won't block the gesture from working entirely - we'll have to see if that exclusion zone is large enough for users to keep from accidentally wiping out of an app (say, when they're gaming) when they expect not to.
How much will it cost?
The update from Google and other manufacturers is free. If you are asked to pay to update it is likely to be a scam.
Will all my apps work?
The majority of the apps on your phone will work as normal. Some may need small updates for full compatibility, but many of those apps have already received the necessary updates including from companies such as Samsung for support of its smartphone accessories on other company’s phones.
Android Q won't have Android Beam
One feature Android 10 won't have is Android Beam, the NFC peer-to-peer sharing method when two devices are nearby. Placing phones back-to-back will do nothing in the beta and final software, we confirmed at Google IO.
Will Google replace Android Beam with another peer-to-peer sharing method? That remains to be seen. We may have to wait until the final Android 10 release date to see it, or maybe when the Google Pixel 4 launches (excepted in October).
Closing privacy loopholes
A report from the International Computer Science Institute found that over 1,300 apps on the US Google Play Store routinely scraped personal data from users even if explicitly denied by relevant permissions settings.
App makers have been using multiple clever workarounds to get the info they wanted: if a user set their permissions to not share location data, the apps took their MAC address from routers connected to the phone. They stored the device-identifying IMEI number accessed by one app and shared it with others. They even determined user locations with image metadata.
Google is reportedly fixing these issues with the full release of Android 10 in August, though presumably not in any planned beta beforehand.
Foldable support
Android 10 is preparing for foldable phones in 2019, or "foldable and innovative new screens," according to the Android Developers Blog post.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold – while it was in our hands briefly – seamlessly switched between the folded and unfolded screen states. By Google natively supporting this type of UI continuity in the backend, it'll likely come to more foldable phones when they launch with Android 10 on board.
For developers, Android 10 beta 2 includes a 'foldable emulator' in Android Studio 3.5, according to Dave Burke, Google's VP of Engineering.
Android Q 'bubbles' multitasking
You've seen the bubbles UI before if you've used Facebook Messenger chat heads. It's an easy way to keep active conversations on-screen as small floating profile pics while going about your normal tasks in the rest of the interface. You can tap the pic when you want to switch back to the conversation.
Google is supporting this idea throughout Android 10 and calling it a new way to multitask. So far, its examples are coming to Messages and Hangouts. But Google is reducing development time, interactivity consistency, and user privacy safeguards, so expect to see it in additional apps outside of Google's ecosystem.
Dark Theme, the system-wide dark mode
There's a system-wide dark mode coming to Android 10 and it's called Dark Theme. We've tested in out at Google IO and it works as intended, but needs to roll out to more of the menus. So far it's limited to the settings menu. It's very early.
You'll be able to trigger Dark Theme in two different ways, and both are in the notification shade. The first way is with a dedication Dark Theme quick settings button that switches between the default Light Theme and new Dark Theme.
The second way is to turn on a Battery Saver mode, which automatically turns on Android 10 Dark Theme. This is a boon for phones with OLED screens, which will burn fewer pixels by essentially turning off pixels in regions of the display that are intentionally black.
New Android 10 privacy features
The Android Developer Blog post announcing the developer beta confirmed a heavy emphasis on boosting privacy in Android 10, a focus that was reaffirmed in the Google IO 2019 keynote.
Users will have more control over app access to location info, shared files and repositories like Photos and Videos. Another helpful change: instead of apps automatically switching focus when they have an Activity in the background (like an alarm or call), appmakers can opt to send high-priority notifications first.
Android 10 beta 3 also introduced a new feature – Scoped Storage – which allows users to control how apps access external storage (say, in a MicroSD card). It will also better protect users from being identified by restricting access to non-resettable device identifiers, like your phone's serial number and/or IMEI, and randomizing its MAC address when connected to different Wi-Fi networks.
These might be some of the most onerous changes for developers in Android 10, which is why, as the Android Developers Blog post reads: "We are bringing these changes to you early, so you can have as much time as possible to prepare."
via GIPHY
Project Mainline: security updates in the background
Another new endeavor announced at Google IO 2019 is Project Mainline, which enables Android devs to update critical parts of Android (so-called 'modules') without a full software package – and critically, without a full update from OEMs.
These surgical upgrades download in the background from Google Play and load them up whenever the phone next reboots. They will mainly be used to improve privacy and security, though the Android Developers Blog post also mentions game developers will use it to update modules for consistent platform implementation.
All devices that can run Android 10 will be able to get Project Mainline.
5G
Android 10 has some particular tricks up its sleeve for 5G. New APIs will enable apps to detect user connection rate and latency, as well as detect if the connection is metered.
This will give developers more refined control over how much data to send to users, especially when they have poorer connections or have data-downloading limits.
Live Caption, and more
One of several accessibility features announced at Google IO 2019, Live Caption does what it says on the tin – captioning video and audio in real-time. The feature doesn't require an internet connection, transcribing text from the device's own speech recognition and NLP.
On the Google IO 2019 stage, we saw Live Caption used in combination with Live Transcribe to input incoming audio to text, then have a user text a response which was spoken. In the demonstration, the combo – called Live Relay – allows a texting user to interact on a phone call without ever speaking a word.
The last accessibility feature coming to Android 10 is Project Euphonia, which aims to improve Android's verbal recognition to better process words spoken by users with speech impediments.
Developer tools for apps: system settings, connectivity, media and more
Developers will be able to show contextually-important system settings within their apps, which harnesses the 'Slices' feature that came in Android 9 Pie. So instead of having to navigate to Settings to switch on Airplane Mode or toggle Wi-Fi or Mobile Data on/off, say, you'll be able to do that right within your mobile browser.
There are also tweaks to connectivity, including 'adaptive Wi-Fi' that enables high performance/low latency modes, which would be useful for things like online gaming or voice calls.
Like all the depth and blur in Pixel camera software? In Android 10, apps can request depth data (JPEG + XMP metadata + depth and confidence map) to, say, offer "specialized blurs and bokeh options in your app," as the Android post suggests. "You can even use the data to create 3D images or support AR photography use-cases in the future."
Android 10 will also support more multimedia codecs: AV1 to let media providers stream high-quality video, Opus for audio encoding, and HDR10+ for high dynamic range video "on devices that support it" – like, say, the Samsung Galaxy S10 family.
As for gaming, the Android 10 beta enhances support for OpenGL along with bug fixes and more functionality.
More permissions to preserve privacy
Android 10 will revamp permissions, from the general to specific, and we've heard that users will be able to better view what info they've shared.
Here's what we don't know for sure, but have heard about: per the aforementioned XDA Developers leak, users will be able to look at a broad overview of which apps they've given permission for certain things, like location or microphone access. There's a search function that lets you filter by permission item, allowing you to quickly see which apps you've given access to your camera, contacts, location and so on.
You can also look at permissions each app has been granted and toggle them individually to set whether access is off, on, or only on while the app is open.
How to install Android 10 — a step by step guide
Method 1: Download the OTA update
This is the easiest and generally preferred way to upgrade to Android 10, as you don’t have to reinstall anything.
To upgrade to Android 10 on your Pixel, head over to your phone’s settings menu, select System, System Update, then Check for update. If the over-the-air update is available for your Pixel, it should automatically download. Reboot your phone after the update has installed, and you’ll be running Android 10 in no time!
If you don’t want to wait for the OTA update or want a clean slate, we’ve got instructions for you on how to install Android 10 via factory images and OTA files.
Method 2: Flashing Android 10 on your device
Flashing Android 10 on your device takes more time and work than the OTA method. If you don’t want to install the over-the-air update for some reason, you can sideload the factory image or OTA file manually. Here’s how to do it:
Download the proper files
Google has already posted Android 10 factory images and OTA files for all four Pixel phones. You’ll need to download the proper file for your device before you get started.
Here’s what you need to get started:
- A compatible Pixel device and a USB cable to connect it to your computer.
- The Android SDK installed on your machine with ADB and Fastboot command successfully working — check the tutorial here.
- 7zip or a similar program that can handle .tgz and .tar files.
- An unlocked bootloader on your phone.
Unlocking your phone’s bootloader
Now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. The first thing you have to do is unlock your phone’s bootloader by following the step-by-step instructions below. It’s easy to do and does not require lots of technical knowledge. Unlocking the bootloader will wipe all the data off your device, so make sure you back it up first.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Turn on developer options by going to “About Phone” and tapping “Build Number” seven times.
- Enable USB debugging and OEM unlock on your device in the “Developer options” section.
- Plug in the Pixel to your PC with a USB cable.
- Open the command window on your PC.
- Boot your Pixel device into bootloader mode using the following command: adb reboot bootloader (if it requests you to authorize this, say yes).
- When your device boots into bootloader mode, type in this command: fastboot flashing unlock.
- A confirmation screen will pop up. Press the volume up key to highlight yes and the power button to start the bootloader unlocking process.
- Once unlocked, your device will reboot into bootloader mode. Now you simply need to type in fastboot reboot to finish the process.
Flash Android 10 on your Pixel device
Flashing Android 10 on your smartphone is pretty straightforward, but you can still run into problems if you don’t carefully follow the instructions listed below.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Head into the bootloader menu to test that your device and PC are communicating by typing in fastboot devices — if it comes back with your device’s serial number, you’re good to go.
- Prepare the factory image you downloaded earlier. Use 7zip to extract the .tgz file you downloaded and then again to extract the .tar file you extracted from the .tgz. This will create a folder with several files in it.
- Copy all those files and paste them in the platform-tools folder in the Android SDK on your computer. You should find it in the Program Files (x86) folder on Windows.
- There are two flash-all files. Windows users should double-click the one that has the gear logo and says “Windows Batch File” on the right. If you’re on Linux, double-click the flash-all.sh.
- A box will pop up and you should see the installation taking place. While this is going on, do not unplug your device for any reason!
- When the installation process has finished, your device will automatically reboot. You can then disconnect your device from your computer and start playing with Android 10.
What if the Flash-all method didn’t work?
For whatever reason, not everyone has luck with the Flash-all scripts. If they fail for you, there’s another way. It’s actually pretty simple. First, make sure you are still in the proper bootloader state and connected to your PC. On your PC you’ll want to type the following:
- First we flash the bootloader with the following command: fastboot flash bootloader <bootloader name>.img
- Next type: fastboot reboot-bootloader
- Now we flash the radio with the following command: fastboot flash radio <radio file name>.img
- Next type: fastboot reboot-bootloader
- Flash the image with : fastboot flash -w update <image file name>.zip
- After this your device may reboot automatically, if not type: fastboot reboot
Comments
Post a Comment