At the Google I / O 2018 conference, engineers and top managers of the company announced a new version of the Android P operating system and showed all the planned changes. This year, users are waiting for a radical rethinking of experience with devices, starting with the refusal of three navigation buttons in favor of gesture control, changes in the multitasking panel and ending with useful little things such as automatically turning on black and white for sleep and tracking application usage time.
The account of cosmetic and functional changes by the time of the final release will go on hundreds, but in order to see everything now with my own eyes, it is not necessary to wait for the release of a publicly available update. This year, users can install a beta version of Android P users of 11 smartphone models, including owners of the flagship Sony Xperia XZ2 with indices H8216, H8266 and H8296 (models without binding to the operator).
Before downloading Android P, please note that all user information will be deleted from the smartphone, including settings, downloaded applications, contacts, photos, messages and accounts. Work with the device will have to start from scratch. There is no support for backing up or restoring information from previously created copies on beta versions of Android.
It should also be noted that the test firmware may be unstable and cannot guarantee a satisfactory user experience. Installation is recommended only to developers or for informational purposes only.
To download and install Android P on a Sony Xperia XZ2 smartphone, you need to use the Xperia Companion utility utility:
- Run the Sony Xperia Companion Utility (version 2.1 or newer required)
- Create a backup for data recovery after returning to Android 8
- Hold and hold the Alt button, then select Software Recovery on the Xperia Companion main screen
- Follow the onscreen instructions
- To return to the current firmware based on Android 8, click "Software Recovery" without holding Alt (all information on the device will be deleted again)
If you do not want to experiment with the beta version of Android P and completely delete the information on the device, you should wait for the official update. Sony Xperia XZ2 may be among the first devices that will get the new version of the operating system due to the use of the new Project Treble technology in Android P, which divides the smartphone file system into several parts for easier and faster release of updates. Such an opportunity appeared due to the close cooperation between Google and Qualcomm, currently it is supported only on smartphones with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processors (as in the Sony Xperia XZ2 and Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact), as well as in models of the middle price segment with Snapdragon 660 chips and Snapdragon 636.