Google company the third beta version of the Android Q open mobile platform. The release of Android Q, which will ship as Android 10, in the third quarter of 2019. The announcement also announced that the platform had reached the milestone of 2.5 billion active Android devices.
To evaluate new platform features program , within which the experimental branch can be installed and kept up to date through the regular update installation interface (OTA, over-the-air), without the need for manual firmware replacement. Updates for 15 devices including Google Pixel, Huawei Mate, Xiaomi Mi 9, Nokia 8.1, Sony Xperia XZ3, Vivo NEX, OPPO Reno, OnePlus 6T, ASUS ZenFone 5Z, LGE G8, TECNO Spark 3 Pro, Essential Phone and realme 3 Pro smartphones .
It was possible to significantly expand the number of devices available for testing thanks to the project , which allows manufacturers to create universal hardware support components that are not tied to specific versions of Android (you can use the same drivers with different versions of Android), which greatly simplifies firmware maintenance and creating updated firmware with current Android releases. Thanks to Treble, the manufacturer can use ready-made updates from Google as a basis, integrating device-specific components into them.
Changes in the third beta version of Android Q compared to ΠΈ beta releases:
- Project presented , which allows you to update individual system components without updating the entire platform. Such updates are downloaded via Google Play separately from OTA firmware updates from the manufacturer. It is assumed that the direct delivery of updates to platform components not tied to hardware will significantly reduce the time it takes to receive updates, increase the speed of fixing vulnerabilities, and reduce dependence on device manufacturers to maintain platform security. It is noteworthy that modules with updates will initially be delivered as open source, will be immediately available in the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) repositories and may include improvements and fixes prepared by third parties.
Of the components that will be updated separately, 13 modules are named at the first stage: multimedia codecs, multimedia framework, DNS resolver, Java Security Provider, Documents UI, Permission Controller, ExtServices, Time Zone Data, (a layer for translating OpenGL ES calls to OpenGL, Direct3D 9/11, Desktop GL and Vulkan), Module Metadata, network components, Captive Portal Login and network access settings. System component updates are delivered in a new package format , which differs from APK in the possibility of being applied at an early stage of system boot. In case of possible failures, a change rollback mode is provided;
- Added support for mobile communication standard , for which the existing connection management APIs will be adapted. Including through the API, applications can determine the presence of a high-speed connection and the activity of billing for traffic;
- Added "Live Caption" function, which allows you to automatically create subtitles on the fly when watching any video or listening to audio recordings, regardless of the application used. Speech recognition is performed locally without recourse to external services;
- The automatic quick response system previously available for notifications can now be used to generate recommendations for the most likely actions in any application. For example, when displaying a meeting invitation message, the system will offer quick replies to accept or decline the invitation, and show a button to view the intended meeting point on the map. Options are selected using a machine learning system based on a study of the characteristics of the user's work;
- Implemented at the system level which can be used to reduce eye fatigue in low light conditions.
The dark theme is enabled in the Settings > Display settings, through the quick settings drop-down block, or when the power saving mode is turned on. The dark theme is applied to both the system and applications, including by offering a mode for automatically converting existing themes to dark tones; - Added a gesture navigation mode that allows you to use only on-screen gestures for control without displaying the navigation bar and allocating the entire screen space for content. For example, buttons like Back and Home are replaced by a shift from the edge and a sliding touch from the bottom up, to call up the list of running applications, a long touch on the screen is used. The mode is enabled in the settings "Settings> System> Gestures";
- Added "Focus Mode" (Focus Mode), which allows for the time when you need to focus on solving a problem, selectively mute distracting applications, for example, suspend receiving mail and news, but leave maps and messenger;
- A Family Link parental control mode has been added that allows you to limit the time children use the device, provide bonus minutes for success and achievements, view lists of launched applications and evaluate how much time a child spends in them, review installed applications and set night time to block access at night ;
- Added a new audio capture API allowing a single application to
provide the ability to process the audio stream by another application. Allowing other applications to access audio output requires special permission; - A Thermal API has been added that allows applications to monitor CPU and GPU temperatures and independently take measures to reduce the load (for example, reduce FPS in games and reduce the resolution of broadcast video), without waiting for the system to forcibly start cutting application activity.
Additionally May's Android Security Patch that addresses 30 vulnerabilities, of which 8 vulnerabilities are rated Critical and 21 are rated High. Most of the critical issues allow you to make a remote attack to execute your code on the system. Issues marked as dangerous allow code to be executed in the context of a privileged process through manipulation of local applications. 11 dangerous and 4 critical vulnerabilities identified in closed components for chips . One critical vulnerability has been addressed in the media framework and could allow code execution while processing specially crafted media data. Three critical vulnerabilities have been fixed in system components that could lead to code execution when processing specially crafted PAC files.
Source: opennet.ru