Release Notes

Forewords

We released 3 public beta versions of Genymotion Desktop 3.1.0, and we want to thank all our beta testers for their feedback. They greatly helped improve and make this upgrade even more stable.

Improved performances

This version brings a large number of updates to our rendering stack, improving performances with the latest versions of Android, especially on macOS.

Rewritten camera widget

Version 3.1.0 comes with a rewrite of our camera support and a simplified widget. This rewrite offers better performance and fixes the camera on macOS Catalina.

Speaking of macOS Catalina, Genymotion Desktop now supports the new macOS permission system: virtual devices ask for permissions to use the camera and microphone in a timely fashion, and detect when permissions are being granted while running.

User interface improvements

The installation of virtual devices has been moved to a separate wizard, accessible through the new “+” floating action button sitting above the virtual device list. This brings a tidier, cleaner look and highly reduces CPU usage of the application.

The user interface received lots of small touch-ups:

• On Windows and Linux, the Device Manager got its menu bar moved to the toolbar, saving vertical space.
• The Emulator has been updated as well: we reorganized the widgets in the toolbar, streamlined the layout of most widgets and refreshed the navigation icons.
• We reworked the keyboard shortcuts to make them easier to use and remember. We carefully chose them to match their widget as much as possible and to avoid conflicts with your operating system shortcuts.
• The title of the Emulator window is now more useful, giving you individual information (IP, device name) about the device first. We also removed the duplicated title from widgets, making them smaller and cleaner.
• Finally, we improved VirtualBox error messages, making it easier for you and our support team to fix problems.

Removals

This version removes support for the “–cloud” option of gmtool. It has been superseded by our new gmsaas tool.

This version also removes support for Android versions older than 4.4.

This new beta fixes an annoying bug preventing dragging the screen right edge of the device after a rotation.

We nailed the last bug regarding macOS permissions to access the camera and the microphone. Virtual devices now ask for permissions in a timely fashion, no longer crash when permissions are not granted and detect when permissions are being granted while running.

We also improved startup responsiveness: when starting a device from the Device Manager window, its icon now switches to a spinner without any delay, as it should.

Apart from these, other minor fixes have been done like some icon adjustments or a new icon for the DMG on macOS.

New install wizard

The installation of virtual devices has been moved to a separate wizard, accessible through the new floating action button sitting above the virtual device list.

This brings a tidier, cleaner look and improves performances of the application.

Always visible navigation buttons

Following up on the feedback we received from beta 1 users on the device window toolbar, we made the navigation buttons at the bottom of the toolbar (Back, Home, Overview and Menu) always visible, even if there is not enough room for all buttons.

Improved titles for the device window and its widgets

The title of the device window is now more useful, giving you individual information (IP, device name) about the device first. We also removed the duplicated title from widgets, making them smaller and cleaner.

Others

This new beta version also comes with a bunch of fixes and improvements, such as:

• A fix for a crash on macOS Catalina when using the camera
• Corrections in the Linux installer to make it work again on Fedora systems
• Improved VirtualBox error messages

This version brings a large update to our rendering stack, improving performances with the latest versions of Android, especially on macOS.

It also comes with a rewrite of our camera support and a simplified camera widget. This rewrite yields better performance and makes the camera work again on macOS Catalina.

The user interface has received lots of small touch-ups, with more important changes expected to land for 3.1.0:

• On Windows and Linux, the Device Manager got its menubar moved to the toolbar, saving vertical space.
• The Emulator has been updated as well: we reorganized the widgets in the toolbar, streamlined the layout of most widgets and refreshed the navigation icons.
• We also rethought the keyboard shortcuts to make them easier to use and remember. We carefully chose them to match their widget as much as possible and to avoid conflicts with the shortcuts of your operating system.

Drag’n’dropping images and videos on a device is now more convenient: when you drop a media file, the Android media library is automatically refreshed, ensuring your media files immediately appear in the gallery, without having to restart the device.

We added the 440 and 450 DPI buckets, making it possible for you to more closely match real-life devices like the Google Pixel 3.

We also improved network error reporting and logging, making it easier for you to understand when things go wrong and for our support team to diagnose tricky errors.

Finally, we made some last minute adjustments for Android 10. It should be available as a preview soon.