Itโs official: Android P is Android 9 Pie and it is rolling out on Google Pixel devices
The wait is finally over! Google has officially rolled out the stable version of Android 9.0 forย smartphones. The next version of Android operating system is called Android 9 Pie and is now available on Googleโs own Pixel Android phones via over-the-air (OTA) updates. These are Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL smartphones.
โThe latest release of Android is here! And it comes with a heaping helping of artificial intelligence baked in to make your phone smarter, simpler and more tailored to you. Today weโre officially introducing Android 9 Pie,โ Sameer Samat, VP of product management, Android & Google Play wrote in the officialย blog that announced availability of the Android 9 P .
Besides the Pixel phones, the Android 9 Pie will also be soon available on phones that were part of the Android P beta program. Googleย said โDevices that participated in the Beta program from Sony Mobile, Xiaomi, HMD Global, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, and Essential, as well as all qualifying Android One devices, will receive this update by the end of this fall! We are also working with many other partners to launch or upgrade devices to Android 9 this year.โ
However, Essential phone has already started receiving Android Pie.”Weโre proud to bring Android 9 Pie to Essential Phone the same day itโs released! Check your phone now for the update,” Essential tweeted out from its official twitter account.
Coming to Android 9 Pie, the new OS โharnesses the power of artificial intelligence to give you more from your phone. Now it’s smarter, faster and adapts as you use it,โ says Google.
Features like Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Brightness uses machine learningย to prioritize system resources for the apps, which means these will give your phone greater longevity and your phoneโs screen will also adjust better to surrounding conditions. Further, new features like App Actions predicts what youโre about to do, so that you get to your next task more quickly.
Also, Google has replaced the traditional three-button navigation bar with a new gesture-based systemย in Android 9 Pie. It is a new gesture-based system thatโs similar to what Apple uses on the iPhone X. You can simply switch between apps and get to what you need more naturally by using gestures.
Another feature โSlicesโ brings relevant parts of your favorite apps to the surface.ย For instance, you can see real-time pricing and driver ETAsย from services like Uber or Lyft when you are searching for a ride. However, Slices will not be available until the Fall for non-beta users.
However, another notable feature ofย Googleโs IO presentation about Android P was a broad feature called โDigital Wellbeing.โ This feature includes โDo Not Disturbโ mode that blocks both sound and notifications, while โWind Downโ mode will set a daily schedule to get your phone ready for bed and even turn fade your screen to gray to avoid any disturbance. Also, included in Digital Wellbeing is โApp dashboardโ that shows users how much time they spend on apps through visual graphs and pie charts, whereas โApp Timersโ will allow users to set time limits on apps and when that time is up, the app is paused for the rest of the day.
However, these Digital Wellbeing features will be offered as a beta for Pixel users. These features will roll out only this fall for non-beta users. The signup for the beta is here.
“We’ve built Android 9 to learn from you — and work better for you — the more you use it. From predicting your next task so you can jump right into the action you want to take, to prioritizing battery power for the apps you use most, to helping you disconnect from your phone at the end of the day, Android 9 adapts to your life and the ways you like to use your phone,” said Samat.
Those who own the Google Pixel,ย Pixel XL,ย Pixel 2,ย Pixel 2 XL andย Essential Phoneย can upgrade their devices to Android P by going to Settings > System > System Update and tapping on โdownload and installโ
Also read:ย ย Android phones cannot have more than 2 notches on display, says Google