Google has rolled out the third beta of its upcoming Android P OS that brings with it the latest bug fixes and optimisations for stability and polish as well as the July 2018 security updates. With the developer APIs already finalised in the previous update, Dave Burke, Vice President of Engineering, is calling the Beta 3 as closest version “to what you'll see in the final version of Android P due later this summer.”
The update is being launched for eligible phones like the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL. To get the Android P Beta 3 on Pixel devices by enrolling for the Android Beta Program. If you have already enrolled and received the Android P Beta 2 on your Pixel device, you'll automatically get the update to Beta 3. The latest preview update includes the Beta 3 system images for Pixel devices and the Android Emulator, as well as an update to the Android Studio build tools to include D8 as an independent tool.
The Android Emulator simulates various Android phone, tablet, Wear OS and Android TV devices on a computer. It comes with predefined configurations for popular device types and can transfer data faster than a device connected over USB. The Android Emulator provides almost all the capabilities of a real Android device.
“Beta 3 is an early release candidate build of Android with near-final system behaviors and the official Android P APIs (API level 28),” the executive wrote. With the Beta 3 system images and updated build tools, the developers have now got everything they need to test their apps or extend them with Android P features like multi-camera support, display cutout, enhanced notifications, ImageDecoder, TextClassifier, and many others. During testing, developers are advised to make sure to account for App standby buckets, privacy restrictions, and restrictions on non-SDK interfaces.
In the previous release, the app switcher’s user interface was tweaked. Scrolling all the way to the left reveals a ‘Clear all’ button for the apps that was not included in the previous updates, that is, Developer Previews 1 and 2. The third preview has not included a Clear All button in the app switcher. In addition, the animations in the app switcher are smoother and the app drawer is now more opaque. You can read the details of the previous update here and Public Beta 2 hands-on here.
But before you move ahead with the testing, a word of caution for those who are enrolling for the Android Beta Program for the first time. With Android P Beta, you may encounter several bugs, and if you want to unsubscribe from the programme later, a factory reset of your Pixel will be necessary. You might want to avoid enrolling yourself in the programme if the Pixel in question is your primary phone. You can visit this link to get started. Also, the company has announced that Android engineering team will host a Reddit AMA on r/androiddev to answer your technical questions about Android P on July 19 from 11:30-1 PM Pacific Time (12.30-1AM IST on July 20).