Google's Android Q Beta 5 Rolls Out Today With New Gesture Controls

Android fans looking forward to trying out the next beta edition of Android Q can download Beta 5 today. To get the beta operating system, the users do have to be in the Android Q Beta Program. Beta 5 is the first release candidate for devs to use for testing apps before the final version of Android Q launches this summer.

There are a couple of notable changes in Beta 5; the corner-in gesture to activate the Assistant is now official. Google has also rolled in a new "peek" behavior for the back gesture that will work better with apps that feature slide-out navigation drawers.

That latter change is an important one because it fixes a problem with the edge swipe to go back that conflicted with triggering the menu in some apps. Since the new gestures only work with the Google integrated launcher, Google has stated that it will be moving third-party launchers to the old three-button nav system by default in the future. However, an update after the launch of Android Q has been promised that will bring gesture support to third-party launchers.

Devs have quite a bit in Android Q to be sure their apps support like new biometrics and new codecs, Dark Theme, and gestural navigation support. Those looking to try Android Q on a personal device should be warned, there are still some outstanding issues.

Specifically, there are known issues with Location permissions, dark mode issues have been noted along with problems in WebView and an Android Enterprise bug. The OTA download is rolling out as of earlier this morning for those in the Android Q Beta Program. Beta 4 had some significant issues when it was released that led to a bootloop problem on Pixel devices. You can download Beta 5 manually here.