Yesterday, Samsung finally released Android Pie for its Galaxy S9 and S9+ flagship phones, but before you rush to the settings menu on your device and start spamming the 'Update' option, there's a catch – this is the beta release and not the final version, and it's only available in certain parts of the world.
Android Pie may have launched some time ago now but Samsung's phones are still running Oreo, the previous iteration of Google's mobile OS. This isn't too much of a shock as Samsung is traditionally quite sluggish when it comes to updating its phones, but when you consider how much these devices cost, it's a bit of a cheek.
Samsung is at least making attempts to solve this problem, and the reason why it's being super-cautious with the Android Pie update is because it's also overhauling its custom UI skin, which sits on top of the core Android OS.
Previously known as 'TouchWiz' and then 'The Samsung Experience', the company's UI will now be known as 'One' as it is intended to run across all of the firm's products. As well as simplifying the visual style used for icons and introducing a night mode which will save battery life, One also has improved gestures and a design which places actions and commands at the bottom of the screen, so they're easier to reach with your thumb.
It's quite a big change for Samsung, hence the launch of the beta program which will presumably help the company gather feedback and iron out any bugs that may be present before it pushes out the final release, which is expected to come in January next year.
Sadly for us in the UK, the beta program is only available in South, Korea, Germany, and the United States. If you happen to reside in any of those places, you can register for the update by installing the Samsung+ application, signed up and then downloading and installing the update. Be aware that because this is still in beta, there may be issues or bugs present, so install at your own risk.
Samsung clearly needs to get a lot better at getting the latest version of Android onto its most expensive and most famous phones, but we'll give the Korean firm a pass this time around because it's clear that this particular update is going to represent an epic undertaking; Samsung's custom UI skins have a pretty terrible reputation and the shiny new One UI – with its stripped-back aesthetic and thoughtful UX design – could become one of the best custom variants available on Android. If you want a glimpse of the future then make sure you sign up now and your feedback could well shape Samsung's approach in 2019.
by dmcferran via Featured Articles
Reviewed by Ossama Hashim
on
November 16, 2018
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