Android Q leak shows system-wide dark mode, permissions overhaul
In what looks like an authentic leaked build of post-Pie Android, Google's made permissions a lot more granular with better reporting.
Android Pie has been available for barely three months, but it's time to move on to Android Q news. A purported leaked build of Google's forthcoming version of its mobile operating system has surfaced, showing the much-anticipated systemwide dark mode and a new permissions structure and interface that will give you a lot more useful control over app-related privacy.
XDA Developers got its hands on Q and we see a lot of welcome enhancements over Pie with regard to privacy; unsurprising, given the 2018 we had. They include a new "only while app is in use" permissions option, more detailed reporting on the resource usage of individual apps as well as how a particular app uses your data, and an overview of how often given permissions are invoked.
Of course, dark modes are also pretty hot these days -- they can be especially important in mobile devices, since a black screen requires a lot less power than a white one -- and Google initially implemented support in Pie. But it takes a lot of work to get it to act consistently across every app running on the phone, and it looks like those optimizations will appear in Q.
There's a lot more which you can watch in XDA's detailed, side-by-side video comparison of Pie and Q running on the Pixel 3.
Google didn't immediately reply to a request for comment.
