Here the Best Features in Android Q

Many of us are still waiting for Android Pie to roll out to our phones, but Android Q (or Android 10) is already in the works at Google HQ.

The upcoming mobile OS got its first mention during the Android Developer Summit when the company confirmed that the operating system would have ‘screen continuity’, which is native support for apps that work on foldable devices. Apps are able to transition seamlessly from a phone layout to a more immersive tablet layout and vice versa.

This perhaps shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, given that several foldable phones are expected to launch in early 2019, including models from Samsung, LG and Huawei.

Other new features coming to Android Q include ‘multi-resume’, an update to split-screen that lets two apps not only be viewed but also run simultaneously; and warnings about installing older apps designed for an earlier operating system.

We’ll hear more about new features when we get our first look at the OS in early 2019

Bell Icon Notification (New Update)

Google has a new feature to help us out in Android Q. The way we've gone about figuring this out before is to look at the time-stamp to see which notification says 'now' by it. As an additional pointer, there's a little bell icon in Android Q, as you can see in the screenshot below.

It only lasts for 30 seconds, whereas the 'now' will stay there for 60 seconds before changing to '1m' and so on. If you have a few notifications arrive in quick succession, this will help you determine which is the very most recent. It's a small change, but it's a pretty useful one.

Inbuilt Screen Recording

Screen recording is pretty handy for people like us (bloggers), but there's never been a native solution in Android. Some OEMs include it as part of their software enhancements, and there are third-party apps like AZ Screen Recorder, which is the one I've been using in recent years. As rumored previously, Google is baking one into the OS with Android Q, although it's pretty borked right now.

To enable screen recording you need to head into the dev options (Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options) and then find the Feature Flags menu under the 'Debugging' heading. Turn on the settings_screenrecord_long_press toggle and it's good to go. Well, except for the fact that it doesn't really work.

Call Screen Beta (Available in Canada)

Announced along with the Pixel 3, Call Screen lets you screen phone calls before you answer them, using Google's Assistant AI to ask who the caller is and what they want. It's excellent for avoiding those pesky spam callers and interruptions from unknown numbers. Call Screen has been available on all generations of Pixels in the US for a couple of months, recently added volume controls to hear the caller and saved transcripts, and now the feature is launching in beta in Canada

Automatic Battery Server

Battery saver can be crucial for eking out those last few minutes of screen time before you can make it to a charger, but the implementation in Android 9 Pie and earlier is a little crude; you could only set it to turn on at a specific percent remaining. In Android Q, you have the option to base it around your routine.

Five or 15 percent battery remaining might not mean much to you if you're about to put your phone on a charger overnight. The new routine-based setting aims to get a feel for when you usually charge your device, and only activate battery saver if it's unlikely your charge will hold out until then.

Switch Output

The option was already there in Android Pie, but you had to go to Sound settings and look for the setting to Play media to. It wasn't easily accessible or discoverable for users, so this quicker way is quite welcome.

There are tons of small improvements in Android Q, and one you may find very handy is the ability to quickly switch your audio output when playing music. A new button in Now Playing notifications shows up and lets you pick whether you want audio to play through your phone's speaker or a connected Bluetooth device.