First Android Q Beta may drop on March 11, but it's not for everyone

Google launched the first Android P Developer Preview build in mid-March last year, but there's a high chance that the first Android Q beta release will drop a few days earlier. The search giant has just opened up the Android Q Beta bug tracker, and it appears that the beta will be launched on March 11.

Spotted by XDA-Developers' Mishaal Rahman, the bug tracker's filter mentions that only those reports made after today, March 11, will be taken into consideration. So, in order for the reports to be possible, the Android Q Beta should be available to testers, which is why we believe the first Android Q Beta build will be released on March 11.

Last year, seven OEMs (apart from Google) offered to help Google test Android Pie on their devices: Essential Phone, Nokia 7 Plus, OnePlus 6, Oppo R15 Pro, Sony Xperia XZ2, Vivo X21, and Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S.

As you might notice, big names like Samsung, LG, and Huawei are missing from the list, but this year the number of Android smartphones that will be compatible with the Android Q Beta will be bigger.

Still, even though Google confirmed a larger number of companies will be part of the Android Q beta program, we don't have any names yet. Google typically launches the new version of Android some time in August, and this year shouldn't be an exception. Until then, a fair share of Android users will be able to test the new operating system on their devices, and we'll soon learn which ones.