Google has officially confirmed that its 9th iteration of Android version i.e. Android 9.0 ‘P’ will be called Pie, couple of week ahead before the actual announcement date. The stable version of Android 9.0 Pie is already available to download for Pixel smartphones from Android developer website here and those who are on the beta program will start receiving the update via OTA.
The final version of Android 9.0 Pie comes after the debut of five developer preview builds which have been installed by more than 14,000 beta testers till date. Apart from Pixel devices, the beta version of Android P also been made available to seven other OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to which Google has developed a partnership. The list of seven OEMs which participated in Beta programme are Essential, HMD Global, OnePlus, Oppo, Sony, Vivo, and Xiaomi. Google also confirmed that the devices under Android P beta program from these OEMs as well as all qualifying Android One devices will start receiving the stable version from this month-end. The company led by Sundar Pichai will also works with a number of OEMs to bring the latest Android 9.0 Pie update to their respective devices at the quickest time.
The Android 9 Pie brings a new Gesture-based navigation system, Digital Wellbeing dashboard, Adaptive battery, Ai-powered app actions, Slices, Background restrictions, Smart text selection, upgraded Do Not Disturb mode, improved security model for biometrics, and more. The new navigation system replaces the bar available at the bottom with three buttons for back, home, and overview.
As for the name, well, “Pie” is not really a shock. It was the obvious choice, and Google went with it. The extra emphasis on the version number is interesting, though: Google refers to it as “Android 9 Pie,” and the URL for the OS is simply android.com/9.
If you have a Pixel phone, Google will start rolling out the update via OTA (over-the-air).
