Android P Beta 3: What’s New

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Published 3 Jul 2018

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Disclosure

Android P AB

Earlier today, Google released the third beta/Developer Preview 4 of Android P for all compatible Pixel devices. This is the second-last Developer Preview release of Android P from Google before DP5 drops towards the end of July and the final release of the OS occurs sometime in Q3.

Unlike the first DP release of Android P, the fourth release of the OS is good enough for daily use, with Google now tweaking a few things around and adding the final touches to the OS. So, while Android P beta 3/Developer Preview 4 does not bring any major new change, it does come with some minor improvements and tweaks. Let’s see what they are.

What’s New in Android P Developer Preview 4/Beta 3

New ‘Back’ Button

The back button has been redesigned and looks like a chevron now.

Android P Back button

Dark theme switcher

Google has finally added an option to switch to a dark theme for the notifications shade and Quick Tiles section as it had promised earlier.

Dark theme in Android P

New Rotation Lock Icon

The handy rotation lock button in Android P’s nav bar has also been redesigned and now looks like it belongs to the same family as other icons on the navigation bar.

New Quick Settings, Status Bar, Settings icons

Google has once again tweaked the Quick Settings panel to revamp the icons. The icons now match the new Google Material Theme style with thin and bold outlines. The status bar icons have also been updated based on the same guidelines.

The icons in the Settings app have also received a similar update.

Android P DP4 Settings

Bigger Gesture Navigation Slider

The slider at the bottom of the display while in the Recent Apps UI now spans across the entire width of the display thereby making it easier to quickly scroll through your list of open apps.

Call Volume in Sound Settings

There’s now a new call volume slider in Sound Settings. Previously, this slider was only accessible while one was on a call and pressed the volume buttons.

Android P Call volume

Updated System UI icon

The System UI icon in Android P has been updated with the new logo.

Bigger Recent Apps

Application cards in the Recent Apps UI are now bigger.

New System Animations

There are new system animations while opening the Recent Apps and when switching to the last app.

Always On Display Hides Notifications

With Do Not Disturb mode enabled, Always On Display will now hide notifications. They will now only be displayed when the mode is disabled.


Noticed any other changes in Android P Developer Preview 4/Beta 3? If so, drop a comment and share them with us.