10 Android Pie Release Date Tips

Expect Android P to Arrive Faster Than Oreo

Before we talk too much about Android 9.0 we want to discuss how fast it could arrive. As we said earlier, Android 9.0 Pie was available as a beta before people even received Oreo. Google's almost a full year and software update cycle ahead of manufacturers like Samsung and LG. 

That's a big problem. When Google released Android 8.0 Oreo in August 2017, we shouldn't have to wait until July 2018 to get it. That's just too long. 

And luckily, new changes from Google aim to curb that exact problem. Without getting too technical, it's called Project Treble.

Treble's goal is to help cut down the amount of time it takes for companies to release major Android software updates. This is obviously a huge problem with Samsung and its Galaxy smartphones.

According to Google "Project Treble separates the vendor implementation (device-specific, lower-level software written by silicon manufacturers) from the Android OS framework via a new vendor interface." A formal vendor interface doesn't exist in earlier versions of Android.

So what does Project Treble mean for non Pixel devices like the Galaxy S9 that come with Project Treble? It means manufacturers like Samsung and LG will be able to release Android updates without having to wait for its chip manufacturers (Qualcomm) to send an update. Basically, cutting out the middle-man to allow for faster software upgrades.

And that could translate into a much faster Android Pie upgrade for dozens of phones. Basically, between Treble and the Android P beta, we believe these updates will hit phones faster than previous years.

Qualcomm's also promised "fast commercial availability of the next version of Android." The company says that by "having early access to Android P, Qualcomm Technologies optimized its software on Snapdragon 845, 660 and 636 Mobile Platforms to ensure readiness for OEMs to upgrade to Android P at the time of launch." A lot of phones use a Qualcomm chip, so hopefully Android P updates arrive before the end of 2018. Not sometime in 2019.