Android Q Adds Support for AV1 Video Format

Google recently released the first beta of Android Q, the new version of its mobile operating system. The beta introduces many new improvements to Android, as well as marked the debut of support for the AV1 video format on the platform.

Currently the beta of Android Q is available only to Pixel users via the Android Beta for Pixel program. Any user with a Pixel device can sign up for the program however, and try out the new features in Android Q.

The introduction of AV1 support to Android was not unexpected, as Google has already started to introduce support for AV1 in Chrome and is testing AV1 videos on YouTube. Being one of the founding members of the Alliance of Open Media that developed the AV1 format, it has a vested interest in its success.

The AV1 support that will be available on Android Q will allow AV1 videos to be played and streamed. However, it will have to rely solely on software decoding initially, as hardware support for the AV1 format is not expected to start to be available in consumer devices till 2020.

With AV1 support rolling out to Android devices soon, the range of devices that are capable of viewing the format will expand significantly. Already AV1 support is available on browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Opera, and on Windows 10 via its AV1 Video Extension.

It is unknown if or when iOS and Safari will introduce support for AV1, though it is expected that they will eventually do so seeing as Apple is one of the founding members of AOMedia as well.

Although decoders are more widely available, encoders are still limited to a handful of options such as Intel’s SVT-AV1. It will be some time before AV1 conversion is possible for average users. However, now it is possible to convert MOV to MP4 easily using Movavi Video Converter.

Aside from its AV1 support, the Android Q beta contains numerous other features and improvements. It will support foldable screens and give developers control over how their apps behave when screens are folded, expanded, or inactive.

Another key improvement in Android Q is the usage of Dynamic Depth data. Prior to this the depth data used in the portrait mode of Android phones was discarded after the photo was rendered, but in Android Q it will be retained and used to create 3D images or AR photography.

Some of the other highlights from the Android Q beta include HDR10+ support, speed improvements, security and privacy protection, more location options, improvements to the Vulkan graphics engine, and more.

Users who don’t own a Pixel device can try out a test of Android Q via the Android Emulator. It is expected that there will still be many issues to hammer out seeing as the current beta is the first developer beta, and there is no announcement yet as to when it will be released.

Further details may be revealed at the upcoming Google I/O conference in May.

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