Nokia smartphones keep getting better with Nokia 8.1

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has today announced that Android Q Beta is now available through the Nokia phones developer preview programme on the award-winning Nokia 8.1. This allows app developers to test and optimise their software for the upcoming Android Q operating system. By participating in the Android developer preview programme, Nokia phones continue to bring the latest innovations from Google to developers and deliver on the promise of phones that just keep getting better.

The Nokia phones developer preview programme pioneered with the Android 9 Pie preview on the Nokia 7 Plus. Now in its second year, it is designed to help developers design, test and perfect their Android apps in readiness for Play Store certification before each new version of Android software rolls out.

Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer, HMD Global, said: “The Android Pie developer preview was a huge success with tens of thousands of members collaborating with us and each other to develop and optimise their apps for Android 9 Pie, ensuring that they could be rolled out seamlessly. With Android Q, we’re planning on following in the footsteps of the Nokia 7 Plus, ensuring developers have early access for app development.”

“Contributions from our Beta labs community ensured Nokia phones were among the first smartphones to upgrade to Android 9 Pie across price segments. By participating in the Android developer preview programme with Nokia 8.1, we want to continue delivering on our promise of phones that keep getting better by offering the best and most up-to-date software experience. Our priority is to ensure that our fans have a smooth transition to the latest Android software on a phone that evolves with time.”

Android Q will provide users with greater control over their data, for instance when apps have access to your location. The latest Android operating system will offer improved privacy features such as restrictions to background activity starts and an update to better protect sensitive device identifiers.

Consumers can look forward to improved gesture-based navigation that takes advantage of today’s edge to edge displays and a new dark theme that aside from being easy on the eye will also help you save battery.

As with the Android 9 Pie developer preview, not only will members have access to the Android Q Beta software, but they can also share ideas and collaborate using the community forum. HMD Global’s in-house developer team will continue to offer a formal feedback channel, offering support for 16 languages. This will be integrated into the software itself, and once submitted, issues can be reviewed and corrected in fastest time possible.

The programme will provide invaluable feedback for analytics and error analysis from a wide geographical user base and cultural diversity, helping Google to refine the final build of the Android Q operating system for end users.

If you have a Nokia 8.1, visit https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_int/developer/ to sign up.