The Android P open beta is here, and here are 11 phones that can use it

The Android P open beta is finally here, and that means if you have a compatible phone, you can download it and try it out right now. Android P is the temporary name for the next Android version, following Android 8.0 Oreo. We won’t know what the “P” stands for until the final version is released likely in August.

You can learn about all the new features in our Android P guide, but if you are eager to try it out now, follow our step-by-step directions to jump into the beta. Here’s what you need to know.

Note: Downloading Android P is pretty easy for the average user. But if you decide you don’t like it, going back to an earlier version is costly. You’ll have to reboot back to an old version, which means you’ll lose all your phone data. Please keep this in mind.

Make sure you have the right device

Unfortunately, the Android P beta only works with certain phone models. Fortunately, Google has finally expanded its list of beta partner devices, which means more smartphones are compatible than ever before. If you have one of these phones, you’re set:

• Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL
• Pixel / Pixel XL
• Essential Phone
• Sony Xperia XZ2
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
• Nokia 7 Plus
• Oppo R15 Pro
• Vivo X21
• OnePlus 6 (not yet available)

If you don’t have one of these phones, well, you’ll have to wait until the final version of Android P is available.

Backup your data

This is still a beta, which means the usual caveats apply: Not everything may work correctly, bugs may crop up, and so on. Even if you plan on keeping Android P up through the official release, you should still take the time to backup all your important phone data. Make sure your photos, contacts, and documents are available on the cloud or uploaded to another storage device before you begin.

Sign your phone up

Google has made signing up for the public beta very easy. Visit this Android developer page, where you will find a list of all the compatible phones. Locate your phone model, and choose Get The Beta at the bottom of the phone description.

Every Get The Beta option will take you to a separate page for that phone brand with instructions on how to sign up. The Pixel version is particularly simple, since Google will try to automatically detect any compatible phones on your account (you will need a Google account to complete this process). Other phone brands will ask varying versions of the question, “Do you want to sign up for the beta now?” Sign into the appropriate phone account, and sign up for the beta following the on-screen directions.

Update your phone

Once you have agreed to update your phone to Android P and read through the various warnings that your phone developer has included, sit back and wait. The update should show up before long, but be patient — it may take a while for the confirmation process to complete.

Your Android phone should receive a notification that says, “System Update Available” from the Android Beta Program. Agree to download the update.

That’s it! All the necessary software should download onto your Android. Afterward, it will update into Android P, and you will be able to explore it.

For developers: Enable developer options

Enable developer options on your phone before you continue (if necessary—you may have already done this step). The easiest way is to head to Settings, choose About phone, and look for an option that says Build number. Precisely tap Build number seven times.

This should create the Developer options menu option at the bottom of the Settings window. In Developer options, you can enable both OEM unlock and USB debugging. Enable both of these before you begin. This will give you the necessary control over the Android OS to make your updates.

You probably also need important desktop tools that allow you to connect to your Android device and make serious changes to it—the common options here are ADP and Fastboot, two well-known Android developer solutions. The easiest way to get these powerful tools is to download the full Android SDK Platform. Again, if you’ve done Android development work in the past you may already have SDK (although make sure it’s updated to the newest version first).

If you don’t have it yet, choose the right download option and install this suite onto your computer. Select yes to any installation questions that pop up, and wait for the download to fully install.