Android P 9.0: All you need to know

Google often uses alphabet letters to name its Android versions and it’s clear that the company is fast making its way down the line. The next dessert will be called Android P, which is all we know with respect to the name.

However, our little birds have some scanty details, including official leaks, regarding the successor to Android Oreo and we’ll be sharing everything you need to know about Android 9.0 in this article.

In a nutshell

• Android P is the next Android OS
• No official name yet (could be called Pie)
• Public beta expected to launch in March 2018
• Official release pegged for August 2018

What will Android P be called?

For years now, Google names its Android OS versions after sweet puddings and alphabetically as shown below:

• Android Donut
• Android Eclair
• Android Froyo
• Android Gingerbread
• Android Honeycomb
• Android Ice Cream Sandwich
• Android Jelly Bean
• Android KitKat
• Android Lollipop
• Android Marshmallow
• Android Nougat
• Android Oreo

As far as we know, the next version of Android OS will be Android P. What’s your guess? Whether “P” will stand for Pancake, Pie, Peppermint, Pineapple or whatever name, your guess is as good as ours, but you can be sure that it will be version 9.0.

What the rumors say about the name

While we don’t have an official name for Android P, we do have some hints about what it could be called. Apparently, there’s talk of Android Pie, something that surfaced after  it was found (via Mishaal Rahman) that new commits in AOSP that referred to the next version of Android as “Android Pi.” Since there’s no dessert that goes by this name, the general consensus is that this could be a placeholder for Android Pie.

Amusing: new commits in AOSP refer to the next version of Android as "Android Pi" which is clearly not a dessert, though maybe shorthand for Android Pie.https://t.co/LXxv4MUYhnhttps://t.co/DH0TlgxiBR

Let the speculation begin!#AndroidP #Android9

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) January 17, 2018

Given that we’ll possibly have to wait until the summer before Google reveals the official name of Android P, you better fasten your seatbelt because more of these speculations on the name is on the way.

When is Android P 9.0 rolling out?

As usual, Google is expected to release a developer preview of Android P 9.0 before rolling out the stable version in March 2018. Last year, the first Oreo beta was released on March 21 – way ahead of the Google I/O 2017 event – and while we still don’t have a date from Google, speculations are that Android P Developer Preview 1 may start rolling out by mid-March.

There’s an argument that the said “Android Pi” commit could, in fact, be the hint to the release date of Android P DP1. This means the release coincides with Pi Day, which is set for March 14, but it would also rule out the only support for Android Pie so far.

Even if Android P DP1 does follow in the footsteps of its predecessor and rolls out ahead of the Google I/O 2018, it’s until this event that the OS will be made official to the public as an open beta. Google has already confirmed that the annual tech show will be held from 8-10 May 2018.

Plans are coming along for #io18… pic.twitter.com/48VpqvVqWU

— Google Developers (@googledevs) January 24, 2018

Unless you own a Google Pixel or Pixel 2 phone, Android P developer preview program is a no-go zone for you. Even though non-Google phones will still get Android P beta, this will only be after Google releases the stable version to the Pixel phones. If anything, this should happen somewhere in August 2018.

Will your phone get Android P 9.0?

The question that perhaps many are asking is whether their phones will be upgraded to Android P 9.0. Well, this will depend on your manufacturer as well as the type of phone you have. Any flagship phone from major companies released last year is guaranteed to receive Android P.

Flagship upcoming devices like Samsung Galaxy S9, LG G7, Huawei P20, Sony Xperia XZ Pro, Moto Z3, are guaranteed to receive the Android 9.0 as an OTA, while the same is expected of current 2017 flagships, too.

It’s also safe to assume that most midrange and some budget phones that come preinstalled with Android Oreo will also be upgraded to Android P when the stable version rolls out, but there’s no guarantee whatsoever.

While Android P stable should be rolled out to the Google Pixel and Pixel 2 somewhere in August 2018, those using non-Google devices can expect the same treat somewhere in Q4 2018 and beyond. Nokia has done a great job with its first Android phones and has, in fact, promised that all of them will be upgraded to Android P. You can expect the HMD-inspired company to be among the first non-Google OEMs to roll out Android P, with the likes of OnePlus, HTC, Huawei, Sony, LG and Samsung following suit towards the end of the year or in early 2019.

Android P 9.0 features to expect

In addition to giving us a hint of Android P name or maybe the release date of the first developer preview, Google has also dropped several hints of the features to expect when the OS rolls out.

One notable addition is that Android P may prevent developers from accessing hidden or unofficial APIs, something that might not impress some or perhaps many of the people making the Android world tick. In case you didn’t know, Android has a bunch of APIs that are hidden and officially not part of the SDK. Up to Android Oreo, developers can still access these hidden APIs to enable advanced features/shortcuts, but at times, they may cause issues when Android updates start rolling out.

In worst case scenarios, malicious developers can also use these APIs to engage in activities that hurt the experience of the user by negatively impacting the system performance and stability. Although not confirmed, Google might block access to these APIs.

Other features that are being touted for Android P include support for Wi-Fi Direct Printing and Bluetooth hearing aids. In line with the growing love for the Internet of Things, the new Android P is also expected to bring better integration with Android Things.

With Android Oreo came Project Treble, a platform that is aimed at speeding the rate of rolling out software updates. As it turned out, this was just the beginning of what is set to be a very long journey in the quest to bring down Android fragmentation. Android P is expected to take this journey to the next phase by fully implementing Treble.

As usual, an improvement of some of the best features to debut with Android Oreo, more so the Picture-in-Picture feature, is expected. Also, Android P should pick up from where Oreo left and up the battery life and performance.

One more thing

While we can go on all day with the list of features we expect Android P 9.0 to bring over Oreo, there’s one major thing that Google needs to address. Over the recent past, the company has made some features exclusive to its Pixel phones. With Android P, it’s our wish that all Android phones get the luxury of enjoying all features out of the box.

By ‘out of the box’ we mean everything that Google adds to the OS, including those little gems usually hidden in incremental upgrades under the claim that they can only work with Pixels because of the phones’ hardware as well as the basic stuff such as the Pixel Launcher.

Of course, we don’t expect Android P to bring Active Edge and such-like hardware-dependent features to all compatible phones, but for sure, Google can do better.

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