Google is working hard on Android Q, as they recently rolled out the fifth aka penultimate public beta release of the upcoming major update of Android. The Mountain View giant also finalized the API level 29 with this release, which means developers should safely test their apps for Android Q compatibility on this build.
These are some technical details of the Beta 5 for Android Q:
Date: July 2019
Build: QPP5.190530.014
Emulator support: x86 (32/64-bit)
Security patch level: July 2019
Google Play services: 17.7.85
Paying proper respect towards the ‘beta’ moniker, there are a handful of known issues in this build. Keeping aside the device specific bugs, Google prepared the following list of platform specific bugs in Android Q Beta 5.
However, Google’s own Pixel 2 XL users are plagued with a peculiar issue since installing this new beta. The cellular signal strength is allegedly reduced drastically in Android Q Beta 5, which directly affects day-to-day functionalities like calling or mobile data usage.
yup I’ve seen the same… 2xl ATT
my wife’s pixel xl not running beta android has much better reception , strength and speeds… it also switches connections faster, like from 4g>3g or back.
(Source)
The number of affected people is astonishingly large, and some of them already submitted their feedback in the Google Issue Tracker regarding the anomaly. Fortunately Google engineers noticed the report(s) and notified appropriate section of their development team.
As a matter of interest, some Pixel 2 XL owners have noticed lackluster Wi-Fi connectivity issues as well, besides the cellular signal degradation. Judging from the nature of the bug reports, Google accidentally shipped a botched up radio firmware/modem with this update, which brought the havoc.
A lower signal bar does not necessarily mean poor network connectivity, but the affected users reportedly got lower-than-usual download speed with their Pixels. Apart from US carriers, Indian Pixel 2 XL units are facing the same glitch after installing the fifth public beta of Android Q.
I ran some Network tests. The signal strength is about 60-70% lower than it’s been previously.
On ATT
A Pixel 3 owner reported the same connectivity degradation issue after installing the latest beta, thus it could be possible that the propagation of the bug is much larger than incial anticipation.
Pixel owners are currently discussing about the glitch in this reddit thread. If you are facing similar network issues, do not forget to star the relevant reports in Google Issue Tracker.
Testers don’t like to break things; they like to dispel the illusion that things work.
– Lessons Learned in Software Testing (by Kaner, Bach, Pettichord)
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Tags
Google Pixel 2 XL
Kingshuk De
896 Posts
I came from a mixed background of Statistics and Computer Science. My research domains included embedded computer systems, mobile computing and delay tolerant networks in post-disaster scenarios. Apart from tinkering with gadgets or building hackintosh, I like to hop on various subreddits and forums like MyDigitalLife and XDA.
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