Android Q brings better security and privacy controls, dark mode, and Q Beta 3 to third party devices

Pixel users have had some time to play with the early developer previews of Android Q, but there’s a lot more coming to the new version of the operating system. Here at Google I/O 2019, Google has announced a whole suite of features that are coming to our favorite OS.

The main focus for the 10th version of Android is security and privacy. The company claims that, according to a Gartner study, Android scored highest in 26 out of 30 categories and it will only get better. There is a new section in the settings simply called Privacy, and it will contain pretty much everything you can control about your data and who can use it.

Location data in particular is going to get a lot finer control. You can set per-app location settings, allowing apps to always be able to access your location or only when the app is open and in use. If an app is using your location in the background, you’ll get a notification.

Android security updates are also getting better. Rather than full OS updates, Google has made updateable modules that update much like Google apps. This will allow you to get security updates without even needing to reboot.

A long overdue feature coming to Q is parental controls and family link. A child’s phone can be linked to a parent, and it will allow a parent to review apps to install, set per-app time limits, set a bedtime, and even allow bonus time if your kid was good.

Digital Wellbeing is also getting an update, bringing a Focus mode. You can disable certain apps to prevent you from getting distracted, but keep others to make sure you won’t miss out on anything important. This feature is coming to Android Pie this fall.

Lastly, a feature we’ve all been waiting for is finally coming to Android Q. Yes, we’re talking about system-wide dark mode. You will be able to enable it either with a quick tile or battery saver.

If you want to give many of these features a shot, the Android Q Beta 3 is now rolling out, not only for Pixels, but for a total of 21 devices from companies like Essential, Oppo, and more.