Google Debuts its Latest Android 9 ‘Pie’ Ahead of iOS 12 Release

Google has today announced the launch of its latest Android 9 ‘Pie’ mobile OS just ahead of iOS 12’s public release next month alongside the new iPhones. The latest version of Android has been optimized to harness the power of machine learning and make your device smarter and simpler to use.

Starting today, an over-the-air update to Android 9 will begin rolling out to Pixel phones. And 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! We are also working with a number of other partners to launch or upgrade devices to Android 9 this year.

The new Android 9 promises to help you get things done faster with App Actions, which predicts what you’ll want to do next based on your context and displays that action right on your phone. Android 9 also introduces a new system navigation featuring a single home button. 

With a single, clean home button, you can swipe up to see a newly designed Overview. Swipe up from anywhere to see full-screen previews of recently used apps and simply tap to jump back into one of them. 

Android 9 makes notifications even more useful and more actionable. Messaging apps can take advantage of the new messaging style APIs to show conversations, attach photos and stickers, and even suggest smart replies.

For developers, Android 9 includes many new ways to enhance your apps and build new experiences to drive engagement. You can learn more about the new features in Android 9 pie at this link.