Android 10—The Ars Technica Review

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  Android 10 is finally here! Here's the new logo. This gallery will be a highlight of what's covered in the review.
  
  

It is once again time for Google's big yearly Android rollout. This year we're up to "Android 10," though if we're counting by API levels (which actually go up one per release) this is the 29th release of Android.
For most of 2019, this new software snack has been in beta under the name "Android Q," and we've seen a whopping six beta releases. Normally that "Q" would turn into a snack-themed codename with the final release, but this year the "Q" apparently stands for "Quitters"—the codename branding is dead. Android is going on a textual diet and it's just "Android 10," with no snacks attached.
Despite the change, Android 10 brings a lot of tasty, frequently user-requested changes to Android. The OS is finally getting a dark mode, the share menu is getting revamped, and gesture navigation has seen huge improvements over the half-baked version introduced in Android 9. Developers have a host of new APIs to play with, including support for upcoming foldable smartphones, floating app "Bubbles," and a new, more generalized biometrics API. And on top of all that, there's a host of changes to work around, like considerations for the new gesture navigation system and new app restrictions focused on privacy and security. Even the notification panel is getting a fresh injection of artificial intelligence, and of course there are new emoji.

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