Android 9 Pie beta available now for US unlocked Galaxy S8 and Note 8

If you own a United States version of an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8, S8 Plus, or Galaxy Note 8, you can now sign up for the Android 9 Pie beta, via 9to5Google. The Note 8 previously received beta access, as did the S8 and S8 Plus, but only outside the U.S.

However, Samsung could close-off the program at any moment, so if you’re interested in trying this beta out, get on it quickly.

To sign-up for the beta, simply open (or download) the Samsung+ app on your Galaxy S8/S8 Plus/Note 8 and look for the Android 9 Pie beta notification. Tap that and then wait for the OTA download to make its way to your device.

The software download is around 1.5GB in size, although the exact size is different depending on the device. Just make sure you’re on a Wi-Fi connection.

The Android 9 Pie beta includes all the usual Pie features as well as the brand new One UI skin Samsung launched late last year. It also includes the latest January 2019 Android security patch.

However, it is a beta, so you can expect plenty of bugs and UI problems if you elect to jump into the Pie world now.

Those of you on non-unlocked devices will have to wait a bit longer for the beta program, apparently. It is nice to see the unlocked variants get some love, though, as Samsung’s track record with updates for unlocked devices in the U.S. isn’t too great.

If you are able to sign up for the beta on your S8/S8 Plus, or Note 8, let us know in the comments!

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