Final Android P release candidate is now available for Pixels and Essential Phone

Google just released the last Android P Developer Preview 5 (Beta 4) for Pixel devices for folks to take the opportunity to take a test drive of the latest OS before the public release. This is the final Beta update so Google is very close to completely finalizing it. Just an hour after Google released the update, Essential also released the latest Beta for its PH-1.

This Beta update “includes a release candidate build with final system behaviors and the official Android P APIs (API level 28)”. This means that the latest Beta is almost 100% the final build of Android P, hence a ‘release candidate’.

The Beta 4’s build number is PPP5.180610.010. If you are just now trying to install the Android P Beta on a Pixel device, make sure you see PPP5 before letting the build download over-the-air. While the factory images of the beta are now available the download (to be flashed manually). An OTA for those with Pixel devices already on Beta 3 won’t be pushed just yet. Google says this will happen soon. OTA should be live now.

Android P brings a new refined UI with swipe-gesture navigation and the new multitasking interface. Smart replies can be seen directly in the notification shade and it Android P opens the feature for third-party apps. Also new is Android’s Adaptive Battery feature, which promises more optimized battery life by de-prioritizing the background activities of apps you don’t use often.

The actual “P” of Android P is not yet confirmed, but Android will have some statue reveal event as it does every year to introduce the new dessert that Android 9.0 will be named after.

What do you think the P will stand for? Leave your guesses in the comments.

Beta 4 blog post | What's new in Android P | Enroll in Android Beta | Essential Android P Beta