Android fans can today download the latest version of Google’s hugely popular mobile OS.
Android Pie, the ninth iteration of the operating system, has been officially unveiled by the search engine giant today.
Android 9 introduces digital wellbeing features, better notifications and promises to extend battery life for devices.
And it’s available to download today via an over-the-air update for Google Pixel devices.
In a blog post, Sameer Samat, the VP of Product Management for Android and Google Play, said: “The latest release of Android is here!
“And it comes with a heaping helping of artificial intelligence baked in to make your phone smarter, simpler and more tailored to you. Today we’re officially introducing Android 9 Pie.
“We’ve built Android 9 to learn from you—and work better for you—the more you use it.
“From predicting your next task so you can jump right into the action you want to take, to prioritizing battery power for the apps you use most, to helping you disconnect from your phone at the end of the day, Android 9 adapts to your life and the ways you like to use your phone.”
Google described Android Pie as an experience “powered by AI” and said it will adapt to how individuals use their phones and learn user preferences.
Personalised settings include the new Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Brightness modes.
These former setting, as the name suggests, adapts to how users use their phone so apps which aren’t used don’t drain the battery.
While the latter setting automatically adjusts the brightness level to how the user prefers it.
App Actions also predict what users are going to do next based on the “context and displays that action right on your phone”.
Google explained: “Say it’s Tuesday morning and you’re preparing for your commute: you’ll be suggested actions like navigating to work on Google Maps or resuming an audiobook with Google Play Books.
“And when you put in headphones after work, you may see options to call your mom or start your favorite Spotify playlist.”
Slices, a new feature which is launching later this year, shows relevant information from users’ favourite apps when they need it.
So, for instance, if a user starts typing the name of certain taxi apps it will also show prices for a ride home in the search results screen.
Android Pie is also introducing a new system navigation featuring a single home button.
But one of the biggest additions will be the digital wellbeing features previously announced at Google I/O earlier this year.
Google said: “While much of the time we spend on our phones is useful, many of us wish we could disconnect more easily and free up time for other things.
“In fact, over 70 percent of people we talked to in our research said they want more help with this.
“So we’ve been working to add key capabilities right into Android to help people achieve the balance with technology they’re looking for.
“At Google I/O in May, we previewed some of these digital wellbeing features for Android, including a new Dashboard that helps you understand how you’re spending time on your device; an App Timer that lets you set time limits on apps and grays out the icon on your home screen when the time is up; the new Do Not Disturb, which silences all the visual interruptions that pop up on your screen; and Wind Down, which switches on Night Light and Do Not Disturb and fades the screen to grayscale before bedtime.”
The digital wellbeing features are officially launching later this year, but are available right now for Pixel phones in beta.