Tech Brief: Google Releases Android Pie

Google surprise-dropped the final consumer-ready version of Android P yesterday, and called it version number "9", in addition to giving it a dessert-themed name "Pie." Boasting of more AI-baked features like Adaptive Battery, Adaptive Brightness and predictive contextual actions, the newest release also comes with a redesigned system navigation that swaps the classic three button layout for a gesture-oriented, single home button and improved Digital Wellbeing features (sign up here) that allows users to track app time usage, set time limits, disable notifications and turn their screens to grayscale before bedtime. There is also the new app Slices that's set to roll out sometime later this year that will make accessible parts of the app directly from within search.

Android distribution figures as of July 23, 2018 (image: Android Developers)

While the latest OS should be already available as an over-the-air update for Pixel phones, the introduction of Treble (the separation of Google code from vendor software) should hopefully make it much more easier for OEMs to roll out updates on their end. In fact, the Essential Phone became the first ever non-Google phone to ship a major Android update on day one of a new Android release. Fragmentation - older versions of Android running on active mobile devices (see the "pie" chart above) - has always been a thorn in the flesh for Google, although for no fault of its own, leading Apple to frequently mock the platform as a "toxic hellstew of vulnerabilities". But Essential's release of Android P is a clear sign that Google's recent attempts to fix the terrible state of Android updates is indeed working.