Just in time for the holidays, Samsung has begun releasing its Android Pie update for the Galaxy S9. SamMobile was first to notice the German release, while other users on Twitter and Reddit have seen the update become available in the Netherlands and Slovakia as well. Along with the upgrades made by Google, Android Pie on the S9 also brings Samsung’s One UI, a new user experience which is intended to make apps easier to use on larger phones, amongst other improvements.
Although this latest update has come to Samsung’s devices a lot more quickly than previous versions of Android did, the South Korean firm is still lagging behind the likes of Nokia, OnePlus, and even HTC with its update schedule. Google has previously attempted to speed up the adoption of new Android versions with Project Treble, but despite the program’s introduction in early 2017 only 21.5 percent of Android devices were running Android Oreo or later as of late October this year.
Samsung is getting faster at issuing its Android updates. Galaxy S8 owners had to wait seven months after Oreo’s original release before it was available for their devices, while Android Nougat took at least five months to arrive on the Galaxy S7. At its annual developer’s conference, Samsung had said that it expected to release Pie in January 2019, which is when we should expect the full global rollout of the new software.