Google's upcoming Android version, currently referred to only as Android Q, will arrive later this summer with a trove of privacy enhancements.
Details about these new additions have been revealed earlier this week after Google published blog posts[1] and new Android support pages[2] for Android Q following the release of a first beta version[3] earlier this week.
Below are all the privacy-focused features that are expected to land in the stable version of Android Q at the end of August.
Access to clipboard data
Android apps can no longer access the Android operating system's clipboard data unless they are in focus (running in the foreground aka on screen).
Apps can access clipboard data while in the OS background if they are also the default input method editor (IME) --aka the default keyboard apps.
MAC address randomization on by default
Google introduced MAC address[4] randomization in Android 6.0[5], but devices broadcast a random MAC address only when the smartphone would initiate a background Wi-Fi or Bluetooth scan.
Android Q devices will now transmit a randomized MAC address by default, at all times, and for all communications.
Despite security researchers proving that they can still track devices[6] with randomized MAC addresses, supporting this feature will reduce the efficiency of some data harvesting and user tracking operations.
Removing easy access to network data
Android Q will also remove the /proc/net function that gives out information about the device's network state.
App developers have other alternatives, but those are safeguarded by permissions, menaing the free lunch for some data harvesters is over.
Removing easy access to device details
Similarly, starting with Android