Finally out of beta, Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ (review) are now receiving the stable version of the Android 10 update.
Earlier, according to the rollout schedule, the Note 10 series was supposed to receive this stable version by 20 January. However, looks like Samsung found that update fit to roll it out a month in advance.
As per a screenshot shared by SamMobile, the update weighs 2 GB. The large size of the update is owing to the complete changes it carries since Android 9, including OneUI 2.0.
Notably, the rollout has started in Germany right now, and is expected to come to be extended to devices in other countries soon. Samsung used the same rollout strategy for the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ as well.
Samsung Android 10 Roadmap
Last month, Samsung revealed its complete roadmap to rollout the Android 10 update to all it eligible devices. The company said that all compatible devices will be updated to the new version by September 2020.
The phase one of the rollout was scheduled to begin in January 2020, in which Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ (Review), Galaxy Note 9 (Review), Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ (Review), Galaxy S10e (Review), Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 10+ (Review), along with the Galaxy M20, Galaxy M30 (Review), and the Galaxy A30 (Review) were to receive the upgrade.
Phase two will be in March 2020 and will only include Samsung Galaxy M40.
The third phase will begin in April 2020, wherein Galaxy A6, Galaxy A6+ (Review), Galaxy A7 (Review), Galaxy A9, Galaxy A50 (Review), Galaxy A50s, Galaxy A70 (Review), Galaxy A70s, Galaxy A80, Galaxy M30s, Galaxy Tab S6, and the Galaxy Fold will receive the update.
(Also read: Android 10 and beyond: Google's most controversial update feels incomplete)
In May 2020 the fourth phase will kick-off, with the update rolling out to Galaxy A8 Star, Galaxy A10, Galaxy A10s, Galaxy A20, Galaxy A30s, and the Galaxy M10s.
The fifth phase is scheduled for June 2020, when the Galaxy On6, Galaxy J6, and the Galaxy A20s, will receive the Android 10 update.
The sixth wave of the update will hit in July 2020, with the rollout to Galaxy J6+, Galaxy J7 Duo, Galaxy On8, Galaxy J8, Galaxy Tab S4, and the Galaxy Tab S5e.
After that Galaxy Tab A8 and the Galaxy Tab S5e will get the update in August, and Galaxy Tab A 10.5 (2018) and the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 in September.
Android 10: What to expect
System-wide dark mode
As everyone and their uncle implements dark mode into apps and operating systems, Android 10 now has official system-wide support for it. To enable dark mode, you can either go to Quick Settings or System Settings. This will switch most of the Google apps into their dark mode UI along with some third-party apps as well. If the dark mode tile isn’t visible in Quick Settings, you will have to edit the menu to bring it up.
Privacy controls
Security and privacy were one of the important features Google has been highlighting on Android 10. The Permission Manager has been given an update so that you know which apps are currently using your location and accordingly decide whether you want to allow it all the time or only when you’re using the app.
Gesture-based navigation system
Probably the biggest change coming to Android is the removal of the back button from the bottom navigation bar. Now, instead of the navigation bar, users will have to use gestures. A thin white bar is present at the bottom and swiping up across it will take you to the home screen. Swiping in from either the left or right edge of the screen will be considered to be the ‘back’ action henceforth.
To invoke Google Assistant, you can swipe in diagonally from the bottom corners. Getting to the recent apps or multi-tasking view is easy and all you need to do is swipe up from the bottom and hold. All these gestures will require some learning and to make it more user-friendly, Google has implemented an intensity customiser for the gestures so that it doesn’t mess with other apps that you might be using.
Smart replies in notifications
With Smart Reply getting integrated into the notification system, you will be able to directly make calls, open address directly on Maps or open links in a browser right from the notification without opening the app. This feature has now been enabled for text messages received from any messaging app. So if someone shares a link with you, the notification system will identify that it’s a website and it will give you the option of opening it in your default web browser. You wouldn’t even have to open the text message.
There are many more expected updates that aren’t live yet. Live Caption, theme customisation, in-built screen recorder, native desktop mode, etc., are hidden in the "Developer options" (except Live Caption) and they are still in their experimental phase.