The Essential Phone was the first third-party Android device to receive an update to Pie, notably coming day-and-date with its final release.

[12] Android Pie refreshes the operating system's user interface to utilize Material Design 2; the revamp provides more variance in aesthetics, encouraging the creation of custom "themes" for the base guidelines and components rather than a standardized appearance.

As applied to Android Pie's interface, rounded corners (influenced by the proprietary Google theme used by in-house software implementing Material Design 2) are more prominent.

The bar utilizes gesture navigation: swiping up opens the "Overview" screen, a redesign of the existing recent apps menu.

Notifications for chats can now be threaded, displaying previous messages within (complementing the existing inline reply functionality).

[13] The power menu now contains a screenshot button (which itself now supports cropping an image after taking one), and an optional "lockdown" mode that disables biometric unlock methods.

[13] Android Runtime can now create compressed bytecode files, and profiler data can be uploaded to Google Play servers to be bundled with apps when downloaded by users with a similar device.

Google Play Store is now requiring all apps to target an API level released within the past year, and will also mandate 64-bit support in 2019.

[13] Android Pie supports IEEE 802.11mc, including Wi-Fi Round Trip Time for location positioning.

[18] Shortly after its launch, several users on Pixel devices and the Essential Phone noted a decrease in battery life.