Android 9.0 Pie is already available for the Essential Phone

Out of nowhere, Google just announced that the latest version of Android, Android P, is officially called Android 9 Pie.

The update to Android 9.0 Pie is a big one that adds major new features, like the gesture navigation, while also helping you to understand your usage and better your life. These can be found at Google's Factory Images web page and frankly, if you have never flashed a Factory Image or a custom ROM before, you might want to wait for the OTA update to hit your phone.

Those that have the Essential Phone and have yet to see the update notification pop up can always head into the settings menu, enter the system settings, and tap "update". This link sends you to Google's hub for all OTA images of Android released for every Pixel and Nexus device.

The company's rumoured Pixel 3 phone is shaping up to go toe-to-toe with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Apple's next version of the iPhone X. Those handsets are; Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.

"We're also working with a number of other partners to launch or upgrade devices to Android 9 this year".

And gadget fans have just been given their first idea of when to expect the new Google flagship. We hope so, because that's what Google is serving up today. And that, according to Google, will help Android 9 Pie learn and get smarter in future.

Google's Android P was available in beta for the last four odd months, but the Android 9 Pie is the version ready for masses and it will be rolling out to compatible phones from tonight. For example, you can type "Lyft" into Google Search and you'll see fare prices for places like Home and Work as well as an ETA for the nearest vehicle to your location. There's a new Do Not Disturb and a feature called Wind Down that'll combine Night Light and Do Not Disturb and also fade your screen to grayscale, all to help you get to sleep at night. A Dashboard will show you how much you've been using your phone, while an App Timer will let you set limits on how much you can use an app each day. To get to the phone's app drawer, you'll need to swipe up twice from the home button.