In a tweet by the company, it seems that they have started to push out the Android Q beta 5 update to Essential Phones enrolled under their beta program. We should note that this is merely a beta and is not the final update, but presumably all this testing will help Essential fine tune the update to ensure that when the final build of Android Q is ready, they should have ironed out most of the kinks and have the update ready in a very timely manner.
For those who are interested in taking part in the beta program, Essential notes that their beta program is down for maintenance right now, but users can sign up to be part of it later on if they wish. Also, we should point out that even if you take part in the beta, what you see now could change upon the final release, and it’s probably not the best idea to use it as a daily driver due to potential bugs and incompatibility issues.
#AndroidQ Beta users—Q Beta 5 is now available for Essential Phone!
Please note: Our Beta Program app is temporarily under maintenance and opting in/out is unavailable right now. Those already enrolled will still receive updates. https://t.co/o6f8tGDdlN
— Essential (@essential) July 12, 2019
There is no word on when Google plans on releasing Android Q, but it should be roughly around the same time as last year.