Android Pie is here! The most awaited upgrade for the Android operating system is now rolling out to all eligible smartphone models globally. However, most people are not aware of the new features and other characters of the new Android 9 Pie operating system version. This article includes the answers for the most discussed questions or Android 9 Pie FAQ. It also discusses the most important features of the same.
Android 9 Pie FAQ: Everything you need to know
Which all smartphones will receive the Android 9 Pie official update?
Android developers always release a list of all supported devices with the announcement of their new operating system version. This time also, the company provided a list of eligible devices to get the update officially. Presently few brands have officially confirmed the availability of the update in their selected models. It includes Google, Essential, Honor, HTC, Huawei, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Oppo, OnePlus, Samsung, Sony, Vivo, and Xiaomi.
What are the most notable new features in Android 9 Pie?
Just like any other OS updates, this one also includes plenty of new features and improvements. The notable features in the Android 9 Pie update include:
- Accessibility Menu
- OCR support in Camera
- The sound amplifier in the accessibility option
- Improved battery saver & adaptive battery saver
- Adaptive brightness
- Controlled background apps
- Multi-camera support
- External camera support
- Display cut-out
- Edge to edge screen support
- Work tab in the launcher
- OTA control
- Multiple Bluetooth connections (up to 5)
- Device-specific volume memory for Bluetooth.
- Support for headsets with sound delay reporting
- HD audio
- HEIF support
- Notification enhancements
- Secured Strongbox
- Built-in support for devices with notches
- Privacy enhancements, and many noticeable user interface improvements.
In addition to these, it comes with Google’s Digital Wellbeing tools as well.
What is Digital Wellbeing in Android 9 Pie?
Google announced their new project named Digital Wellbeing at Google I/O 2018 developer conference. It is a special program designed by Google as part of their activities in social responsibilities. Digital Wellbeing helps Android users monitor and control their phone and app usage.
Digital Wellbeing includes many other helpful features including as turning the screen into grayscale based on a timer, Do Not Disturb mode, and the ability to manage notifications. It lets you set timers on apps to make sure you do not use a specific app more than a set amount of time each day.
You can join Google’s Digital WellBeing beta program by signing up here.
What are the improvements in the user interface in Android Pie?
The latest Android operating system comes with many visible UI changes. It includes the presence of navigation gestures and smarter screenshot tools. These are the most important UI changes:
- All-new navigation gesture.
- New volume controls.
- Less annoying screen rotation.
- Smarter Screenshot Tools.
- Pie tracks which notifications you dismiss more often, and then ask you to choose to stop notifications from those apps.
Any AI-specific updates in the Android Pie?
Google has put lots of efforts to use the maximum advantages of the AI in their latest Android operating system. Here are some of them:
- Tile-like cards at the top of your app drawer with contextual suggestions for specific tasks you might want to perform.
- Slices: UI templates that can display rich, dynamic, and interactive content from your app from within the Google Search app.
- Adaptive brightness and Adaptive battery saver based on AI capabilities.
I have a Google Pixel smartphone, How can I upgrade it to the latest Android 9 Pie?
It is an easy task. Whenever the update is available for your device, it will show up a notification for you with a prompt to download the update. Tap it, press the install button, and restart when prompted. That’s it!
If you don’t want to wait for the OTA update or if it is not automatically coming, you can always download the factory images from the Google website and flash it using a PC. However, it is a risky process and we don’t recommend that process.
I already signed up for the public beta. Do I need to remove it to install the new version?
Nope, You will always get a notification when a new version is released. You can directly install the latest build from the update notification. However, if you feel like your device’s performance is affected, you can always start from scratch by heading over to the Settings > System > Advanced > Reset Options > Erase all data (factory reset).
That’s all about the Android 9 Pie update. There are many other important features and improvements in the new version of Android. Have you downloaded the Pie update in your phone? Do let us know in the comments below.
