At I/O 2018, Google had announced that it would make Android P Developer Previews available to various smartphones this year. Staying true to its promise, the Nokia 7 Plus is now getting the Android P Developer Preview 3 aka Android P Beta 2 release. The Android P Beta 2 software build is available for manual download and install for all Nokia 7 Plus users, and the company has announced that OTA update will arrive soon as well. Furthermore, Nokia 7 Plus also gets ARCore support, and the ARCore app can now be downloaded from Google Play.
The Android P Developer Preview 3 (Android P Beta 2) release for Nokia 7 Plus comes as a welcome change, as developers can now test their products on different devices, and not just rely on Pixel devices as was the case earlier. Manufacturers that have implemented Project Treble are eligible for an upgrade as well. These include the Essential PH-1, OnePlus 6, Oppo R15 Pro, Sony Xperia XZ2, Vivo X21, Vivo X21 UD, and Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S. All Pixel devices got the Android P Beta 2 update earlier this month.
For OTA updates, users of the above mentioned devices, as well as Nokia 7 Plus users, will need to enrol in the Android Beta program, and then wait for the OTA update. HMD Global claims that the Android P Developer Preview 3 OTA update is arriving soon, but meanwhile users who don’t want to wait can sideload it manually. The images are available on the Nokia website, but this means you’ll need to wipe out all data before you install the software. Therefore, ensure that you backup all your data before you proceed. You will need to register over at Nokia’s Developer Portal and download the relevant ROM files. Then, you will need to reboot the Nokia 7 Plus to recovery, hit factory reset, and then sideload the ROM package through ADB. To read step by step instructions, head here.
These builds are specifically made available for developers only, and daily users should stay away from them as they contain a lot of bugs. You may face carrier issues or lags, hampering with daily usage. If you’re an average daily user, best to wait till the stable Android P version is out in the fall. Also, before you proceed, please be sure to take a complete backup of your phone before you attempt to flash Android P Beta 2, otherwise you could lose important personal data. There’s also another warning here – going back to the previous version of Android is not easy either. You’ll have to flash the previous version of Android back to the Nokia 7 Plus so if you aren’t ready to do that, stop right here.
Android P Beta 2 includes the final APIs (API level 28) as well as the official SDK. It brings a new time and date display design in the notification panel, a new weather notification on the Always-On Display, a new Colors menu that lets you view an image in different colour modes, revamped emoji design as well as addition of new emojis, quick reply for bundled notifications, and the Downloads app being renamed back to Files app.
As mentioned, Google has also added the Nokia 7 Plus to its ARCore supported device list. Nokiapoweruser reports that the ARCore app now shows the Nokia 7 Plus as a supported device when you try to install it from Google Play. Google has not updated the list of supported devices for ARCore on its website yet, but it should do that soon enough. To recall, Google unveiled ARCore in August last year, a system to make augmented reality apps for mobile devices using the Android operating system. You can see the full list of supported devices here.
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