Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta leaks ahead of official launch

An early Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta build has been leaked online ahead of the beta program's impending launch. Some evidence surfaced recently which suggested that Samsung will soon launch the Android 9 Pie beta program for the Galaxy S9 and S9+. We have already seen leaked alpha builds of Android 9 Pie for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9. Some of the minor issues in the alpha builds have been addressed in this beta.

Samsung will be introducing a system-wide night theme with the Android Pie update. The alpha build had white cards on top of a black background which didn't really look good. That has been changed in this beta so gray cards are now displayed on a black background.

Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta leaked online

The gestures in settings were broken in earlier builds and they have been fixed in this beta. Swiping up in the position of a button on the nav bar works now. When this is enabled, the nav bar will be hidden completely and apps will stretch all the way to the bottom of the display.

This beta build includes Samsung Members and the Samsung Beta Services apps. It's a good indication that this is indeed a copy of the beta that will be rolled out in the near future. Samsung will enable users to sign up for the beta once it goes live. The beta may initially be launched in South Korea and the United Kingdom. It will have users sign up for the beta through the Samsung Members app.

It's also mentioned that the Galaxy S9 will receive some software features from the Galaxy Note 9 – Scene Optimizer and Flaw Detection to be precise. These are camera features that use AI to improve the imaging experience on the device. These features were launched with the Galaxy Note 9.

The app icons have received a fresh coat of paint as well. Also check how Samsung apps on Pie look compared to their Oreo counterparts to get a sense of what has changed. The overall UI changes are significant and from the looks of it, the changes will have Samsung fans divided.

Samsung is yet to confirm when it will officially launch the Android 9 Pie beta program for the Galaxy S9.