Android Pie: All the neat tricks you need to try on your Pixel phone

Google

Google has given its next mobile phone and tablet operating system a name: Android Pie. As well as naming the software, it's also released the first public version and made it available for download.

The company has been testing the version of Android 9 with developers and beta testers since its developer conference in May and has finally decided the moment to unleash it has arrived. It has also upgraded the software's name from Android P to Android Pie.

Pie isn't filled with a ton of flashy new features, but instead is focusing on performance and reliability. Google doesn't want you to work hard adjusting settings when the expensive phone you're using can do this for you. In short, there are a lot of minor tweaks in this version of Android that promise to make your digital life easier.

However, there's a catch. At the moment you need one of Google's own Pixel phones – the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL – to get the operating system. Android Pie will gradually be rolled out to phones from other manufacturers in the coming months but at present, there aren't any release dates.

For now, these are some of Android Pie's new features you should be trying out.

iPhone X style gestures

Perhaps the biggest change to Apple's 2017 iPhone X was the removal of the home button. Apple sidelined the button, which had been present in every model of the iPhone previously, to allow for more screen space. While the majority of high-end Android phones don't have a button on the home screen, Android has updated its user interface and added new gestures to make it easier for manufacturers to create bezel-less devices.

Android's three navigation icons at the bottom of the phone have been replaced by one digital button, located in the center of the screen. Swipe up and you'll get to the last app you had open, a long-press will get you Google Assistant and swiping horizontally will let you scroll through open apps. Instead of the back button being permanently in view, Android now only shows it when its an option for the user. The option can be reversed in Android's settings but is a big change to how you'll use your device.

Using indoor maps

Google

Android Pie adds support for the IEEE 802.11mc Wi-Fi protocol. On the face of it, this sounds pretty dull but there's some promising potential. If location sharing is activated, Android 9 can measure distances to certain Wi-Fi points and using data from three points can pinpoint your location to around one metre of accuracy.

What this is means is that indoor mapping on mobile phones is possible. There'll be no more getting lost in supermarkets or shopping centres on the weekends. Google has even teased that phones with Android Pie will be able to understand voice commands based on where you're standing. On its developer blog, it writes: "For example, 'Turn on this light' and 'Are there special offers for this product?'"

A new way to screenshot

Holding both the power button and volume button on Android phones has always been a fiddly way to take screenshots. Google has now simplified the process. Holding only the power button for a couple of seconds now gives three options: power off, restart and screenshot. A simple tap on the last of these saves whatever is on screen to your device.

Digital wellness

Google

Big tech companies are buying into the Time Well Spent movement – the idea we're all using our devices too much and need to have better tools to control ourselves. Android Pie is the first operating system to provide device-level tracking of your behaviour. At the moment, it's only available to Google Pixel users who sign up for a separate beta.

A new dashboard shows how long you are spending on your phone each day, how many times you used different apps and the number of times the apps are spamming you with notifications. App times will let you set daily limits for how long you want to use an app each day, with use being paused once the limits are passed - though this can be overridden. And a wind-down mode sets a schedule for going to bed: greyscale progressively fades your screen and do not disturb activates to stop notifications.

While Google is the first to introduce these features, others are following suit. Apple's iOS 12 will have a similar set of tools when it launches later this autumn. Facebook and Instagram launched app-level time limit tools on August 1.

AI smarts

Android Pie needs more of your data, but the trade off is it's smarter than previous versions. The operating system has adaptive battery and adaptive brightness modes. Using Google's machine learning it collects data on the times you use certain apps and when your change the brightness on the device. Then, it starts to learn patterns of behaviour to save battery life and automatically adjust the brightness.