Android Q Will Focus on Security and Privacy, Google Says

The tenth version of Android will include finer control over privacy and improvements to Android security updates, Google announced at its I/O 2019 event

• By Jessica Davis
• May 08, 2019

Android Q, the tenth version of the Android operating system, will include finer control over privacy, as well as improvements to security upgrades, Google announced Tuesday at the Google I/O 2019 developer conference.

According to Google, Android Q will include a new section in the settings menu called Privacy, which will give the user access to data privacy controls. Android Q will allow the user to set per-app location settings, choosing from allowing an app to always be able to access your location, or only when the app is open and in use. You’ll get a notification if an app is using your location in the background.

Android is also improving its security updates, allowing you to update without having to fully reboot your device.

"Your Android device gets regular security updates already, but you still have to wait for the release and you have to reboot when they come. We want you to get these faster," said Stephanie Cuthbertson, Google's Senior Director for Android.

Instead, Google is breaking down some Android Q components—like compatibility, security and privacy—into standalone components, allowing Google to push out critical fixes and standard upgrades individually as soon as they’re available. This new feature is called Project Mainline.

“With Android Q, we’ll update important OS components in the background, similar to the way we update apps,” Google said. “This means that you can get the latest security fixes, privacy enhancements and consistency improvements as soon as they’re available, without having to reboot your phone.”

Android Q’s OS is currently in beta, and will likely ship more widely this fall.