Now that we’re on Beta 5 of Android Q, we’re getting very close to the official release of the new version of the operating system. Google has only intended to release six total betas before the final release candidate goes live, and the company has narrowed the Android Q launch window down to the “third quarter” of this year. In other words, Android Q is hitting soon, but with an important caveat—just because Google releases Android Q doesn’t mean that you’re going to get Android Q as soon as it comes out.
If you’re on a Pixel phone, you’re set; expect to see Android Q sometime in August, when Google is likely to release the final version (based on past releases). If you’re using any other manufacturer’s Android smartphone, however, your results may vary wildly—just scan through Android Authority’s timeline for Android Pie if you want to see how crazy the delays can get.
While we have no idea when each manufacturer is going to launch Android Q for their various devices—ahh, fragmentation—it’s possible to make a few educated guesses based on how this process has gone previously. PhoneArena’s Peter Kostadinov has crunched the timelines and come up with a few suggestions for both Samsung and Motorola:
Samsung
If you’re expecting to pull down Android Q for your fancy-new Galaxy S10 or S10+ in August, think again. Unless Samsung performs a holiday miracle, you probably won’t be able to try out its customized version of Android Q until early 2020.
Looking back at Android Pie and the latest Samsung handsets available at the time, the S9/S9+ and Note 9, Samsung rolled out the operating system between December of 2018 (international versions of the S9/S9+) and March of 2019 (unlocked, Verizon, and T-Mobile versions of the Note 9). Owners of the Galaxy S9/S9+ on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon seemed to get Pie a little earlier than those on T-Mobile or those with unlocked devices; AT&T subscribers with a Galaxy Note 9 got Android Pie earlier than the other carriers.
Going forward, Kostadinov doesn’t expect the timeline to change for Android Q:
Galaxy S10/S10+
- International: Late December 2019 / Early January 2020
- US Unlocked: February 2020
- Verizon: Late January 2020
- T-Mobile: Late January 2020
- AT&T: Late January 2020
- Sprint: Late January 2020
As for the upcoming Galaxy Note 10, that is expected to ship with Android Pie come its August debut. It will probably receive Android Q along a similar timeframe as the Galaxy Note 9 and Android Pie: around February/March of 2020 for everyone but owners of the international version of the device, who might see Android Q in mid-January.
And, yes, your slightly older Galaxy S9/S9+ and Galaxy Note 9 are also expected to get Android Q, slightly after the release of the operating system for Samsung’s newest Galaxy-class smartphones.
Motorola
The company took some time to roll out Android Pie to its various devices—starting in November of last year with the Moto One Power, and ending in July for the Moto Z2 Force and Moto Z3 (Verizon’s versions). To this, Kostadinov said it best: “Motorola is all over the place when it comes to software updates.”
Accordingly, here are his estimates for when various Motorola smartphones might get to play with Android Q:
- Moto Z4: January/February 2020
- Moto Z3/Z3 Play: March/April 2020
- Moto G7 smartphones: February 2020
- Moto G6/G6 Play: March/April 2020
- Moto Z2 series: May/June 2020
If you compare the timelines, you’ll note that the estimates for some of these phones are pushed out a bit for Android Q versus Android Pie. That’s because Motorola will probably prioritize updating newer devices, like the G7, over older devices like its Z2 series of smartphones. This makes sense to us, even though it doesn’t make waiting any more fun.