Google Releases Android 9 ‘Pie’

Earlier this year at Google I/O, the company made a preview of Android version 9 available for testing. Now with a proper name, Pie, the OS is ready for release and is available if you have a Google-branded phone.

Starting today, the company is pushing out an over-the-air update to Pixel phones to deliver the update. Everyone else will be waiting on their manufactures to release the update but the company does say devices 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.

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With this release, Google is going all-in on having artificial intelligence help improve the end-user experience. With features like Adaptive Battery that can prioritize apps that you use the most for maximum battery life and Adaptive Brightness that knows how bright to set the screen based on the app you are using, these are a couple ways that AI aims to make using the OS a little bit better.

App actions is also a core part of this release that tries to predict what you will do next and display that action on the screen. Slices, a feature that shows relevant information from your apps in search results will be available later this fall.

And one of the bigger updates is that the company is working to make it easier to navigate the operating system with a single ‘home’ button that supports gestures. This feature works similarly to how iOS 11 added gestures with the iPhone X and makes using all-screen phones, easier.

Overall, this is a good update for those that use Android and hopefully will hit your device in the near future.

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Conversation 10 comments

  • Martin Pelletier

    Premium Member
    06 August, 2018 - 2:47 pm

    <p>Great, Samsung will update their phones only in 6 months. </p>

    • webdev511

      Premium Member
      06 August, 2018 - 3:11 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#299854">In reply to MartinusV2:</a></em></blockquote><p>At least it will be sooner than anything on verizon.</p>

      • slbailey1

        06 August, 2018 - 4:53 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#299859">In reply to webdev511:</a></em></blockquote><blockquote><em>I have a Verizon Pixel 2. All I did was check for updates and got Android 9. I just finished installing it.</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

    • Pierre Masse

      06 August, 2018 - 5:12 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#299854">In reply to MartinusV2:</a></em></blockquote><p>If ever.</p>

  • ReformedCtrlZ

    Premium Member
    06 August, 2018 - 2:51 pm

    <p>Also of note, Essential announced they're rolling out Pie about 10 minutes after Google announced availability for the Pixels. Just saying :D</p>

    • beatnixxx

      06 August, 2018 - 3:29 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#299855">In reply to ReformedCtrlZ:</a></em></blockquote><p>Already downloading for my Essential phone…</p>

    • the_real_entheos

      06 August, 2018 - 8:45 pm

      <blockquote>A quick glance of your sentence had me confused. I thought you said that Essential had announced they were running out of pie.</blockquote><blockquote><br></blockquote><blockquote><a href="#299855"><em>In reply to ReformedCtrlZ:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • Hougaard

    06 August, 2018 - 6:43 pm

    <p>Reading this on my Essential running Pie 🙂 </p>

  • Bats

    06 August, 2018 - 8:04 pm

    <p>This is WHY I BUY a Pixel. I want the latest and greatest Android OS….yesterday.</p>

  • Rob_Wade

    07 August, 2018 - 12:24 pm

    <p>And, as is typical with crappy Android, this will be available on fewer devices than its predecessor.</p>

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