Google finalizes Android P as Android 9 “Pie”

[ARMOUR]

 

Google is dropping a major surprise on us today and releasing the final consumer-ready version of Android P. It has a final name: the version number is "9" (not "9.0"), and we know what the "P" stands for: "Pie."

 

“P is for Power”—Android engineers talk battery life improvements in Android P

Android Pie is a major update for Android. Large chunks of the OS get a UI makeover in line with Google's updated Material Design guidelines. There is an all-new notification panel, a reworked recent-apps screen, new settings, and tons of system UI changes. There's support for devices with notched displays (like the iPhone X) and a gesture navigation system (also like the iPhone X). So far, battery life on the preview builds has been great, with improvements like the AI-powered adaptive battery system, a new auto-brightness algorithm, and changes to CPU background processing.

 

"Android 9 Pie" is now finished and will start rolling out to Google's Pixel phones.

If you are a Pixel owner, you’ll be happy to hear that Pie will start rolling out as an over-the-air update today. The same goes for every other device that was enrolled in the Android Beta (that includes any Sony Mobile, Xiaomi, HMD Global, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus and Essential devices that got the betas) and qualifying Android One devices. Everybody else, well, you know the drill. Wait until your manufacturer launches it for you… which should be the end of the year for some — and never for quite a few others.

Overall, Pie is a solid upgrade. The only real disappointment here is that Pie won’t launch with Android’s new digital wellness features by default. Instead, you’ll have to sign up for a beta and own a Pixel device. That’s because these new features won’t officially launch until the fall (Google’s hardware event, which traditionally happens in early October, seems like a good bet for the date).

 

Let’s talk about the features you’ll get when you update to Android 9 Pie, though. The most obvious sign that you have updated to the new version is the new system navigation bar, which replaces the standard three-icon navigation bar that has served Android users well for the last couple of iterations. The new navigation bar replaces the three icons (back, home, overview) that are virtually always on screen with a more adaptive system and a home button that now lets you swipe to switch between apps (instead of tapping on the overview button). You can also now swipe up on the home button and see full-screen previews of the apps you used recently, as well as the names of a few apps that Google thinks you’ll want to use. A second up-swipe and you get to the usual list of all of your installed apps.

 

Release Info Android 9 “Pie,”

 

Article Source:

1. techcrunch.com
2. arstechnica.com

[DKT27]

I guess this is the best option as it's famous worldwide. Could have been this too.

 

But I'm slightly unhappy that he went away from his words though.

[Axe]

This was somewhat expected. It's a simple and popular name.

I would've voted for Popsicle.

[vitorio]

I thing Popsicle is a trade mark name like the name Pamper. Maybe that had some weight agains that name.

[mkc21]

lol they didn't loose any sleep over it huh?

[Matrix]

Highly anticipated: Google's latest Android update has finally arrived, and it has yet another dessert-oriented name: Android Pie. The update's major focus is on artificial intelligence - many of the features arriving with the update will learn your habits over time and use that information to streamline the Android experience.

By using AI, Google hopes Pie will make your phone smarter, simpler, and "more tailored to you." The update will arrive with a slew of new features designed to accomplish just that, including new device brightness and battery management tools.

Those features, appropriately named "Adaptive Brightness" and "Adaptive Battery," will take advantage of past usage information to lower your device's brightness at opportune times and reduce the amount of power little-used apps receive. If those tools don't sound terribly exciting to you, Android 9 has plenty of other tricks up its sleeve.

One such trick is "App Actions," an AI-based prediction tool that operates in the background, offering you suggestions for the next app you might want to use. For example, if you wake up at the same time every morning for your work commute, App Actions could begin to suggest navigating via Google Maps and resuming a podcast or music playlist.

Android Pie also features a new app navigation system, which essentially replaces the hardware or software-based app select button found on many modern smartphones.

By simply swiping up once, you'll be given an at-a-glance view of all the apps open on your device, with the ability to swipe between them at will.

While you're in this app view, you can highlight text to put Pie's AI tech to work. If you select the name of a diner, for example, Pie can show you a Yelp Reviews button in addition to the standard copy, search, and share options.

The final Pie feature worth discussing is Digital Wellbeing, which is an in-beta dashboard that lets you see how you use your device. Within the Digital Wellbeing interface, a pie chart will reveal which apps or services you use the most, allowing you to pause apps or snooze notifications to avoid mindless content consumption and reduce distractions.

The Digital Wellbeing feature will also contain a "Wind Down" tool, which will switch on Android's Night Light feature and fade your device's display to "grayscale" before you go to bed.

Android Pie is launching for Pixel owners today, but everyone else will have to wait a bit longer - Google hopes to roll the update out to its partners' devices sometime "this year," but the company hasn't offered any further details.

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