Paul Morris on May 9, 2018, 1:15 am

Android P Beta Program Is Live With Developer Preview 2 Beta Available To Download Now

As expected, Google has used the opening keynote of its annual I/O Conference to introduce a slew of new technologies and feature enhancements. One of those introductions, and one which is likely to immediately resonate with users, is the immediate availability of the Android P Beta Program.

Now, you may be thinking to yourself that you have actually heard about Android P and seen it in action either in screenshots, in videos, or on a friend’s device. And that is likely accurate as Google originally announced Android P as a Developer Preview a number of months ago.

However, because the platform was in its infancy and wasn’t ready to be used by the masses, Google originally offered P up as firmware that developers would need to manually flash onto their device or install via a custom ROM put together by someone with the requisite knowledge.

Thanks to today’s announcement, those limitations have now been lifted meaning that Android P is available to download and try out for all early adopters who want to see exactly what the next major version of the world’s most popular mobile operating system has in store for them.

The great news about this immediate release is that anyone with an interest in the Android operating system can head right on over to Google’s Android Beta landing page to register and express their interest in the update and to register their compatible device to make sure that it’s capable of installing the update.

Those developers with the requisite knowledge who have already flashed the original developer preview of Android P to their devices may also find themselves receiving an over-the-air update which will give them this latest version. If so, they will find themselves with an installation which includes all of the original features and functionality present in the original Developer Preview, as well as new functionality and additional gestures which have been added since.

As an example, this latest offering includes the iPhone X-like navigation features and gestures, among other things. As more people install the preview and get using it, it’s highly likely that additional inclusions will seep into the public domain.

For now, if you are interested in this Android P beta, head on over to the beta landing page right now here and start the process. Compatible phones include the Google Pixel / Pixel XL, Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL, Essential Phone, Nokia 7 Plus, Oppo R15 Pro, Sony Xperia XZ2, Vivo X21UD, Vivo X21, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S and OnePlus 6 (on launch day).

It’s important to note, that Developer Preview 2 (beta) for Android P is rolling out as we speak as part of this Beta Program, but if you’ve manually flashed the older DP1 on your phone, you will not receive this new beta as an OTA, and will have to do so manually.