Android Pie
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Google tests Driving Mode in Play Services to open Android Auto or start Do Not Disturb mode automatically
A new feature in Google Play Services adds Driving Mode to Connected Device settings. This lets you start Android Auto or Do Not Disturb mode automatically.
One of the key themes of Android 9 Pie is a more intelligent OS. Android has adopted features across that board to automatically detect what the user is doing and adjust settings accordingly. The new Adaptive Battery and Brightness algorithms in Android Pie are just two examples of how Android has evolved to better recognize your personal use case. Besides the new features we found in SettingsIntelligence a few months back, it seems that Google is testing a feature in Google Play Services version 14.3.62 called "Driving Mode." When activated, this feature will use various motion sensors, background audio cues like engine noise, and/or Bluetooth connections to determine if you're in a moving vehicle and if so.
Huawei/Honor phones on Android 9 Pie ROMs can now use EMUI camera
Huawei and Honor devices running Android 9 Pie custom ROMs can now use the stock EMUI camera so they can take great pictures on AOSP ROMs!
Android 9 Pie has been out for a while but there are a number of Android enthusiasts who have had to resort to custom ROMs while they wait for OEMs to release their official update. Then there are some who just prefer custom ROMs in general compared to the OEM ROMs that come from companies like Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, etc. In any case, those who have a Huawei and Honor device that is running a ROM that is based on Android Pie can now use the familiar EMUI camera application thanks to XDA Forum Moderator / Recognized Developer flex1911.
How to pass SafetyNet on beta Android Pie builds for the OnePlus 6
It's possible to pass SafetyNet on the beta builds of Android Pie running on the OnePlus 6. Check out how to do that here.
You can get Android Pie on your OnePlus 6 right now if you're willing to switch to the company's latest Open Beta version of OxygenOS. While it comes with all of Android Pie's latest features such as Adaptive Battery and the latest Material Design theme, it's not without its problems. One of the main issues is that Google Pay is not supported. In fact, the device fails the SafetyNet Attestation API test. Not only does that mean you can't use Google Pay, but you won't be able to log in to Snapchat, play Pokemon Go, or use pretty much any app that requires you to pass SafetyNet. You can't even install Netflix through the Google Play Store (though side-loading the APK still works).
Open GApps ARM/ARM64 packages for Android Pie ROMs now available
Looking to install an AOSP-based Android 9 Pie custom ROM? You'll need the right GApps package for that. Luckily, Open GApps now supports Android Pie!
If you want to flash a custom ROM and use the Google Play Store or any other applications that require Google Play Services, then you'll most likely need to flash a separate Google apps package (commonly referred to as "GApps.") This is something that custom ROM developers require you to do to avoid any legal challenges with them bundling Google apps into their third-party custom ROMs. Since Android Pie was announced and its source code uploaded to AOSP, we've been looking forward to the Open GApps team's official release of their latest flashable GApps packages. Now, the team has released Android Pie-compatible GApps packages for the ARM and ARM64 architectures in all variants.
Android Pie adds controller mapping for the Sony PlayStation 4's DualShock 4
Android Pie has finally added controller mapping support for the Sony PlayStation 4's DualShock 4 controller. All Android 9 devices will recognize the DS4!
A much-requested feature has finally been added to Android Pie: controller mapping for the Sony PlayStation 4's DualShock 4. The PlayStation 4 is the most popular current-generation game console on the market, so it's no surprise there's a lot of people out there with DualShock 4 controllers who want to use them to play mobile games on Android. The problem with using your PlayStation 4 controller on Android is that the key mapping may not be available on your device. Thus, while you can connect to your PlayStation 4 controller via Bluetooth, you might not be able to actually use the controller to navigate the UI or play any games. Sony Xperia devices can use DualShock 4 controllers out of the box, but support on other devices depends on the device maker. Fortunately, Google has finally added the proper key mapping in AOSP so all Android 9 Pie devices should be able to use PlayStation 4 controllers.
Download: Digital Wellbeing with grayscale tile & launcher shortcut for Android Pie
Google has added a few usability features in the latest update to Digital Wellbeing. Users can finally add the icon to the app drawer and more.
One of the biggest consumer-facing features in Android Pie is something Google calls "Digital Wellbeing." This is a section in the Settings that gives users a ton of information about how they use their phone. You can see how much time you spend on apps, how long the screen is on, how many times you unlock the phone, and more. It's a useful feature, but it wasn't super easy to access.
Google document suggests API Level 29 will be Android Q
A recently updated Google document suggests that API level 29 will be Android Q and not Android 9.1 Pie, though there still may be a maintenance release.
Every year, Google unveils a new Android version. The new flavor this year is Android Pie, also known as Android 9. While it'll take many months for Android 9 Pie to make its mark in the Android version distribution statistics, we expect devices to receive the Android 9 update faster than the devices last year received the Android 8.0 Oreo update (thanks to Project Treble). Now that Android 9 Pie is available in AOSP, it's time to speculate what the next major Android version will be. A recently updated Google document suggests that Android Q will be the next major Android version and not Android 9.1 Pie.
Bluetooth in-band ringtones enabled by default on supported devices in Android Pie, but can't be disabled
If you have a Bluetooth device and want to hear your ringtone through it, you'll be glad to know the feature is on in Android Pie on supported devices.
Before the official release of Android 8.0 Oreo, we learned that Google was finally going to be adding a feature that many people had asked for: Bluetooth in-band ringtone support. This is actually a feature that is part of the Bluetooth Hands-Free Profile (HFP) and its entire purpose is to let your phone send its custom ringtone to the connected Bluetooth device. Once enabled, you no longer had to hear the default noise your Bluetooth device made when you had an incoming phone call. This is something that a lot of people enjoyed and they were happy to see Android had a toggle that gave the user a preference. In Android Pie, Bluetooth in-band ringtones are now enabled by default on all supported devices and can no longer be turned off by the user in Developer Options.
[Video] EMUI 9's Full-screen Gestures and how they compare to Xiaomi/OnePlus Gestures
EMUI 9 beta based on Android Pie is available for the Honor 10, Huawei Mate 10, Huawei P20, Honor Play, and Honor View 10. We show off the UI and gestures.
A few days ago, Huawei unveiled the latest version of its EMUI software: EMUI 9. Based on Android 9 Pie, the latest version of EMUI brings a new design with a streamlined user interface, various unspecified software optimizations to improve performance, GPU Turbo 2.0, Huawei's take on Google's Digital Wellbeing service, and a new gesture navigation system on top of the standard Android Pie platform features. Huawei opened up applications for an EMUI 9 beta program but limited it to 100 members in select regions who own the Honor 10, Honor View 10, Honor Play, Huawei Mate 10/Mate 10 Pro, or Huawei P20/P20 Pro. The beta software that was shown off at IFA 2018 did not include the new gestures, but we managed to get our hands on an updated version of the EMUI 9 beta that does have the new gesture controls.
TWRP adds decryption support for Google Pixel & Pixel 2 on Android Pie
TWRP finally supports decrypting the data partition on the Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, Google Pixel 2, and Google Pixel 2 XL running Android Pie.
TWRP is the most popular custom recovery thanks to the huge number of devices it supports and the features it offers like full backups and restores, touch support, slot selection, and more. TWRP has been the go-to recovery for those interested in modding their smartphones. Whether you qualify as a newbie in the flashing scene or as an experienced flashaholic, you've almost certainly used TWRP at some point. The custom recovery isn't perfect on every device, however, as Android updates may bring changes to the kernel, ramdisk, encryption algorithms, etc. that require TWRP to adapt. For instance, data decryption wasn't working on the Google Pixel or Google Pixel 2 running on Android Pie.
Magisk v17.1 released with better Android Pie and A/B device support
Magisk v17.1 has been released with better support for Android Pie and A/B partition devices. You can get the full changelog here and download Magisk!
When it comes to rooting your Android smartphone, everybody points to Magisk by XDA Recognised Developer/Recognised Contributor topjohnwu as the best place to get started. It's one of the easiest ways to root your Android smartphone, and it has full support for Magisk Modules too. These modules allow you to systemless-ly replace files on your device's /system partition. The biggest selling point for Magisk came about as a means to hide root from SafetyNet. This enabled users to play games like Pokemon Go even when their phone was unlocked and rooted.
Android version distribution updated for August with no sign of Android Pie
Google has just updated the Android distribution chart and revealed that Android Oreo is now installed on 14.6% of Android devices. Android Pie is MIA!
It's that time of the month when Google updates the Android version distribution chart. It was last updated at the end of July when we found out that 12.1% of Android phones ran on Android 8.0 Oreo. Unfortunately, the updated statistics aren't that exciting. Since the last update, we now have a new version of Android to track, Android Pie (Android 9), which has not reached enough devices to make a dent in the numbers. Here are the updated percentages:
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 gets Pixel Experience based on Android Pie
Since Android Pie launched we've seen many ports released and XDA Senior Member Carlos Arriaga shared Pixel Experience port for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3.
The Redmi Note 3 was one of the first Xiaomi smartphones that really caught my eye. It didn't have the fastest hardware, and the MIUI OEM ROM isn't really for me, but that device with a custom ROM was amazing for the price. Since then I have been impressed with the regular Redmi line as well as their Redmi Note line and enjoy seeing the developer community flourish around it. Since Android 9 Pie source was released we've seen a number of ports released and just yesterday XDA Senior Member Carlos Arriaga shared their Pixel Experience port.
Android Pie adds controller mapping for the Xbox One S wireless controller
The Xbox One S controller's Bluetooth did connect to Android devices as it should, but it had issues with button mapping. Android Pie fixes this.
If you look at the categories in the Play Store and the iOS App Store, you'll notice one thing: the games category is far and away the most popular for both platforms. This is true for a number of reasons, but each of them had to mature in ways no one had thought of when the first iPhone and the first Android smartphone were released. One of the big drawbacks to next level gaming on Android dealt with lack of controller support, but now Android 9 Pie has finally added controller mapping support for the Xbox One S's wireless controller.
Xiaomi Redmi 5A and Xiaomi Mi 6 get unofficial Android 9 Pie ports
We wanted to highlight ports for the Xiaomi family with a port of CarbonROM for the Xiaomi Redmi 5A and a port of Nitrogen OS for the Xiaomi Mi 6.
The new official ports of Android 9 Pie just keep rolling in and so far we don't see any end in sight. Today, we wanted to highlight a couple of ports for the Xiaomi family with a port of CarbonROM for the Xiaomi Redmi 5A and a port of Nitrogen OS for the Xiaomi Mi 6.
Google Nexus 6 and Nexus 5X get AOSP Android Pie ports
The Google Nexus 6 and the Nexus 5X have gotten AOSP Android Pie ports thanks to the work of talented developers on our forums.
As lots of devices get Android Pie ports on our forums, the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 5X are the next up to receive them. Both of these devices are pretty old and have had their official support cut-off. The Nexus 6 finished at Android Nougat, while the Nexus 5X finished off at Android Oreo. Android Pie has only been out for two weeks now, yet so many of the community's most popular devices have already gotten working ports. The list is growing every day, thanks to the work of some of the talented developers on our forums.
Android Pie GSI now available for Project Treble-enabled devices
The first Android Pie (Android 9) Project Treble Generic System Image (GSI) built from the Android Open Source Project is now available.
When Google first announced Project Treble with Android 8.0 Oreo, there was some skepticism among the community about how effective Treble would be at bringing faster updates to Android devices. After seeing how Treble can help kickstart the custom development process by making it possible for supported devices to boot an AOSP Generic System Image (GSI), there was little doubt about how beneficial Treble support will be for the Android ecosystem. The announcement of the Android P beta program, which brought Developer Previews to 7 non-Google devices, laid to rest any remaining doubt about Treble's effectiveness. Now that Android 9 Pie is official and its source code is uploaded to AOSP, developers can build GSIs for all Project Treble-enabled devices from source.
OnePlus One, OnePlus 5, and OnePlus 5T get Android Pie ports
The OnePlus One, the OnePlus 5, and the OnePlus 5T all now have official, fully-working Android Pie ports available for download!
Android 9 Pie has only been out for 2 weeks now, yet we've seen an amazing amount of development on our forums already. We've seen stable, working ports for several devices, including phones from Xiaomi, Motorola, and OnePlus—all of them working fairly decently with few remaining bugs. As the days go by, this list only keeps growing. Today, three new devices are joining the list and getting unofficial Android Pie ports: the OnePlus One, the OnePlus 5, and the OnePlus 5T.
Android Pie opens up recent apps customization for third-party launchers
Android Pie integrates overview (recent apps) into the launcher rather than SystemUI. Root-enabled third-party launchers can make their own recent apps UI!
Until Android 9 Pie, Android's stacked card recent apps interface remained largely unchanged since it was first introduced in Android 5.0 Lollipop. With the introduction of gesture navigation in Android Pie, Google revamped the recent apps overview screen. The new interface features large overview cards arranged horizontally, but that isn't the biggest change to the recent apps interface. Since the code for recent apps is now integrated into the stock launcher, you can now seamlessly transition from your recent apps overview to your launcher's app drawer. As AndroidCentral's Ara Wagoner explains, this puts third-party launchers at a disadvantage because only the pre-installed system launcher can integrate with the recent apps UI. On the other hand, if you have root access, Android Pie's changes to the recent apps overview actually opens up a whole new avenue of customization.
Pixel Experience based on Android 9 Pie released for Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
The Redmi Note 5 Pro has been a popular phone, so it makes sense that it's receiving an updated version of the Pixel Experience ROM based on Android 9 Pie.
The codebase of Android 9 Pie has been released to the public and this has resulted in a lot of devices receiving new and updated custom ROMs based on the new update. Yesterday, we saw a slew of ROMs based on Android 9 Pie released for some older OnePlus smartphones and one was released for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro as well. The Redmi Note 5 Pro has been an incredibly popular smartphone since its release so it makes sense that it receiving an updated version of the Pixel Experience custom ROM has garnered so much attention.