Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Phones
  3. Android
  4. Mobile
  5. Evergreens

Here’s how to download and install Android 9.0 Pie

Android 9.0 Pie is fresh out of the oven: Here's how to get a slice

By
Add as a preferred source on Google
 

Google’s Android 9.0 Pie has landed. If you’re curious about trying out a slice, you’ll need to make sure you have the right smartphone (until all the major manufacturers push the update out within the next six months to a year).

Recommended Videos

You can learn about all the new features in our Android 9.0 Pie guide, but if you are eager to try it out now, follow our step-by-step directions to jump into the new version.

Note: Downloading the Android 9.0 Pie beta is pretty easy for the average user. But if you encounter a lot of bugs or decide you don’t like it, going back to an earlier version is costly. You’ll have to flash your device back to Android Oreo, which means you’ll lose any phone data that isn’t backed up. Please keep this in mind.

Make sure you have the right device

Google Pixel 2 XL
Julian Chokkattu / Digital Trends

First, the bad news: Android 9.0 Pie is only available right now for certain devices — the Google Pixel and Pixel 2 series. The good news is Google expanded its list of beta partner devices, which means there are quite a few phones that are likely to get the final version quickly. If you have one of these phones, you’re set:

  • Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL
  • Pixel/Pixel XL
  • Essential Phone
  • Sony Xperia XZ2
  • Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
  • Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
  • Nokia 7 Plus
  • Oppo R15 Pro
  • Vivo X21
  • OnePlus 6

If you don’t have one of these phones, well, you’ll have to wait until the final version of Android 9.0 Pie is available on your phone. Android One devices will receive the update towards the end of the year.

Back up your data

For the beta, the usual caveats apply: Not everything may work correctly, bugs may crop up, and so on. Even if you plan on keeping Android 9.0 Pie up through the official release, you should still take the time to back up all your important phone data. Make sure your photos, contacts, and documents are available on the cloud or uploaded to another storage device before you begin.

Sign your phone up

Google has made signing up for the public beta very easy. Visit this Android developer page, where you will find a list of all the compatible phones. Locate your phone model, and choose Get the beta at the bottom of the phone description.

Every Get the beta option will take you to a separate page for that phone brand with instructions on how to sign up.

The Pixel version is particularly simple, since Google will automatically detect any compatible phones on your account (you will need to be signed in to your Google account to complete this process). Once you’ve signed up for your Pixel, you should receive an over-the-air notification that says System update available from the Android Beta Program. Agree to download the update and you’ll be playing around with Android 9.0 Pie in no time. You do not need to sign up for the beta to receive the final version — if you have a Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, or an Android One device, you should automatically get an update notification.

For other phone brands you’ll need to download the new software and flash your phone with the Android 9.0 Pie beta yourself. They’re all a little different. Sony, for example, wants you to use its Xperia Companion software, whereas Xiaomi suggests the fastboot method and offers the Android 9.0 Pie ROM, as well as the Oreo ROM you need to revert, as a download.

The process shouldn’t be difficult if you follow the instructions carefully, but if you run into problems you’ll also have to flash back to Oreo yourself, so keep that in mind. The manufacturers aren’t making any guarantees about it working perfectly, so always back up everything that matters to you before you start.

Here are the direct links to each manufacturer’s instructions:

These phones should receive the final version of Android 9.0 Pie quickly, and we’ll update this post when they do.

Mark Jansen
Mark Jansen
Former Mobile Evergreen Editor
Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient &…
Topics
The HONOR Robot Phone feels like the first phone I’d actually buy for its weirdest feature
I wanted a better workflow. HONOR built a robot.
HONOR Robot Phone Hands On First Impressions Review

When I was at Computex earlier this year, I shot a lot of Reels using my DJI Osmo. And don't get me wrong: that little camera is excellent. The stabilization is great, the video quality is good, and it is exactly the kind of thing you want when you're running around a trade show trying to make content. But then came the annoying part: transferring all that footage to my phone or laptop, moving it to the cloud, and finally getting it onto the platform I actually wanted to use. At some point, I remember thinking, "Why are there so many steps?"

Apparently, HONOR had the same thought. The difference is that while I just complained about it, HONOR went ahead and built a phone around the idea. The HONOR Robot Phone is, admittedly, doing a lot. It's a flagship Android phone, a miniature motorized camera gimbal, a robotic arm, and an AI playground all rolled into one. But after actually using it at IFA Berlin this year, I found myself caring far less about the novelty and far more about the camera. Because, honestly, this thing is really good.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is an unabashedly bougie reader, but gosh, I can’t put it down
I am NOT telling you to spend $1,900 on it for reading books. And yet, here I am, surpassing my reading goals at an addictively quick pace.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

On an ordinary day, if you ask me what's the best e-reader device out there, my answer would most probably be one of Amazon's Kindle readers. I will most likely ask about your budget and your preferences before doling out a few recommendations. 

If you tell me that the Kindle is too restrictive, I would point you in the direction of a Boox slate, which comes in multiple sizes across a wide price bracket. In case you are inclined towards a phone-like reader device, the Boox Palma 2 or the DuRoBo Krono would be my suggested picks. And if you're chasing something light, tiny, and open, the XTEINK X4 would be my go-to choice.

Read more
Three reasons I’m still hesitant to order the iPhone Duo
Apple’s first foldable had me reaching for my credit card, but a few days of thinking changed my mind.
iPhone Duo on table unfolded

Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo at its “Surprise and Shine” event, and my jaw dropped. To be fair, I had a pretty good idea about the phone’s hardware, but the software polish and little nice touches Apple added everywhere made me instantly pull out my credit card. 

From the opening animation to the almost creaseless nano-texture display to the under-display camera to the IP68 water and dust resistance, Apple has certainly delivered with its first try at a foldable phone. 

Read more