Learn how to get Android Q Beta 3 on your Phone with and without experience..
During its latest Google I/O event, Google finally announced that it has released the third phase of Android Q under the name of Android Q Beta 3.
The latest phase includes the most recent and the most updated features and fixes of the new and the awaited version of Android, and it’s now available for both development and personal usage.
Why would you need to Get Android Q Beta 3?
The answer to this question depends on what you are going to do with the new beta version of the system and what you work on already.
If you are an Android Apps developer, you cannot dispense with downloading the latest version of the system to be able to optimize your application and check for its stability and compatibility with the new system.
If you are a reviewer, you will have to get the latest phase of Android Q Beta 3 to be able to show it up and review it, especially if you have a good number of followers so Google can hear your opinion related to any issue you might face.
And finally, if you are an End-user, I do prefer you to get the latest version of Android Q Beta 3 to keep on track with the latest technological trends and know more about the awaited release of Android.
What do we know about Android Q?
Till the moment we now know that we are going to see the final version of Android Q during the third quarter of the year, and we don’t even know its name until now.
Also, Android Q will be the first official version of Android OS to have a built-in Dark Mode, and it will focus on privacy and security to help users to protect themselves from those who want to breach their data.
Google has announced the devices that are going to receive the third beta version of Android Q during Google I/O, and luckily, this one is not exclusive to Pixel phones as usual.
From now on, you will be able to get Android Q Beta 3 on your Pixel phone if it’s a Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel, or Pixel XL.
In case you are not Google’s Pixel user, you can still get the third phase of the beta version of Android Q if you have one of these phones:
- ASUS ZenFone 5z
- Nokia 8.1
- OnePlus 6T
- OPPO Reno
- Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G
- Xiaomi Mi 9
- Realme 3 Pro
- Essential Phone
- Sony Xperia XZ3
- Vivo NEX A
- Tecno Spark 3 Pro
- Vivo X27
- Huawei Mate 20 Pro
- LG G8
- Vivo NEX S
This means that it’s not impossible anymore to get Android Q Beta 3 on your phone if you are not a Pixel user, but the question is, how to?
In this article, I will provide you with a complete guide on how to get Android Q Beta 3 on your phone, regardless of your experience, and how to go back to your previous version if it’s Android 9.0 Pie if you don’t feel good with Android Q Beta 3.
Get Android Q Beta 3 by Joining the Beta Program
Note: Before you start the process of installing Android Q Beta 3 on your phone, I highly recommend you backing-up your whole phone to keep yourself on the safe side.
The first and the easiest method to get Android Q Beta 3 on your phone is by enrolling in the Android Beta Program, which will allow you to get all the beta releases of Android OS on your phone instantly once they are released.
The best thing about the Android Beta Program is that it provides you with the newer versions via Over-the-Air (OTA) Updates which don’t require any interference from your side.
On the other hand, the worst thing about this program is it’s only available for Google Pixel phones, and even not them all, as Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL users will have to wait to June so they can get the Beta version of the new OS.
Regardless of that, enrolling in Android Beta Program if you have a Pixel phone is easier than you may imagine.
You first need to head into the Android Beta Program website from your Pixel Phone’s browser or your PC’s browser (You will need to log in with your Google Account in this case).
After heading into the site and completing the login process, scroll down until you find a section with the name Your eligible devices.
By finding this section and finding that you have got a phone that’s eligible for enrolling and getting the Android Q beta release, you will have to select it and follow the instructions so you can get the Over-the-Air update on your phone.
Leaving Android Beta Program
If you feel uncomfortable using the beta release of Android Q and want to go back to your old version of Android, I don’t recommend you do that if you use your personal and non-business phone.
The reason for my recommendation is what Google has said before regarding the consequences of leaving the Beta Program after enrolling in it and using the Beta version of Android Q.
They said that if you have enrolled in the program, downloaded and installed the beta version of the system, and then left it; you will lose your data.
On the other hand, if you choose to stay enrolled, you will be graduated to the stable version of the system once it’s released, and you will not lose any data.
Flash Android Q Beta 3 through Bootloader
The second option you have is to fully flash the stock firmware of Android Q Beta 3 on your phone through the bootloader instead of an Over-the-Air update.
This option requires some knowledge of dealing with Android Debug Bridge (ADB), and it’s not recommended at all if you are using your personal and non-business phone as you are going to factory reset your phone when you prepare the bootloader.
When you get a Pixel phone, you get a locked bootloader with it, which is the only door through which you can flash a custom or stock firmware.
And that’s why I highly recommend again taking a full backup of your phone before heading into any step of flashing the stock firmware of Android Q Beta 3.
So, before we start, let’s first define the phases of the installation of the new Android Q Beta 3 on your phone, and in this case, I’m talking about the Google Pixel phone.
This process contains a few simple steps, but they are a little bit dangerous.
Download System Image
The first one is the phase of downloading the proper system image to your PC, and you can download it from the official website here.
When you open Google’s developers’ website, and click on download a system image, you will find a new menu that shows up. You will see that it contains the images for the eligible devices that can receive the Android Q Beta 3 update, and they are all Pixel phones.
After finding your phone and downloading the proper system image for it, now it’s the time to unlock the boot loader.
Unlock Bootloader Manually
To flash a custom or official firmware on your phone, first, you will have to unlock the bootloader in it; to do so; you will have to use Android Debug Bridge commands.
Android Debug Bridge or ADB is simply a platform that allows you to give commands to your phone through your PC, and you have to enable USB Debugging Mode to do that.
The first step you have to take to enable USB Debugging Mode is to enable the Developer Options on your phone.
You can enable Developer Options on your phone by opening your phone’s Settings, clicking on About Phone, and then tapping on Build Number seven times until you get a message that tells you that you have become a developer.
After enabling the Developer Options, open it up and look for USB Debugging, the option that will allow you to give your phone commands through Android Debug Bridge, turn it on, and you are done.
As mentioned before, we are doing all of that to unlock the bootloader in your phone, and after finishing the previous steps, you now have to boot into your bootloader.
You can do that by any of two methods; The first is by manually turning off your phone and then reopening it by clicking on both Volume down and Power buttons.
Unlock Bootloader via ADB commands
The second method is by using ADB commands which you can execute once you connect your phone to your PC after enabling Debugging mode.
After connecting your device to your PC, you will find a folder named ADB on your PC, and if you don’t see it, you can get it via this website.
In the newly downloaded folder, click on the Shift button while right-clicking on any space on the folder, and you will find an option called Open PowerShell window here.
Now, and in the new window, type this command to check the connection of your device:
./adb devices
And after making sure that your device is successfully connected and that the USB Debugging option is enabled, type this command:
./adb reboot bootloader
Now, the smartphone will reboot itself and see the bootloader screen.
First, check for the lock state of your device to see if it’s locked or unlocked, and in case it’s locked, now you will have to unlock it by yourself.
Warning
Before heading into this step, you should know well that unlocking the bootloader will factory reset your smartphone, meaning that your data will be lost, so make sure you understand that & properly backup your data before continuing.
In case you have changed your mind and want to go back, you can do that by clicking on the Power button while Start is selected, and you will go back to your regular system.
If you still want to unlock the bootloader on your phone, let’s go back to our main topic.
After checking the lock state of your phone, now type this command:
./fastboot flashing unlock
A message will appear asking if you are sure about unlocking your device’s bootloader and warning you one more time that this process will factory reset your device and you cannot undo this later.
If you are sure about what you are doing, click on the Volume Up button along with the Power Button to confirm that you want to unlock the device’s bootloader.
Flash Stock Image via Fastboot
After finishing the previous steps, and letting the phone do the job, type this command to allow the device to recheck itself and make everything ready for the next steps.
./fastboot reboot-bootloader
Remember the image file we downloaded a few minutes ago; I prefer to tell you to start the process by downloading it so you can finalize downloading it by reaching this line.
Now, after downloading the system image, extract it into the Platform Tools folder. If you don’t have it, you can download it with ADB and Fastboot files if you haven’t already.
The next step is to make sure that you are still in the bootloader menu and also to check if you see that the Lock Stats is unlocked now.
Recheck the connection between your PC and your phone by typing this command:
./fastboot devices.
After assuring that everything is running correctly, now type the command to flash the updated bootloader:
./fastboot flash bootloader [bootloader file].img
You will not see anything noticeable on the screen of your smartphone after executing this command; all you have to do is to double-check that the bootloader is running correctly by typing and executing this command:
./fastboot reboot-bootloader
After finalizing all of that, now it’s time to flash the system image of the Android Q Beta 3 on your phone by typing this command:
./fastboot -w update [image file name].zip
This process may take a few minutes, and your phone will reboot itself maybe a few times until it boots up normally in the final time.
It is worth mentioning that there is no reason to worry about the first boot, which may take longer than usual, this only happens the first time, and then it will work as usual and maybe better.
Conclusion
By reaching this line, you now have owned the final beta release of Android Q, and you have become one of the counted people who own it.
In case you find that you are not feeling comfortable with this version of Android, you may want to go back to Android 9.0 Pie which is more stable.
You can follow the same steps as above by changing the downloaded system image with one of those images you can find on this page.
Don’t hesitate to share this article with your geek friends who cannot wait to get the Android Q Beta 3 released on their phones. Also, don’t forget to share your thoughts about the new release in the comments section below.
