Asus landing Android Pie (9.0) on to the ZenFone 5 in early 2019


When's my device going to get the latest update?  That's a refrain we hear from users (albeit, only a few users' in the know' ... to be honest, most users out there won't notice much difference after a system update).

Asus is planning to send out the latest firmware update (Android 9.0, otherwise known as "Pie") to the ZenFone 5 series devices in early 2019.  I got to review their mid-tier 5Q as well as the blazing fast 5Z and they were pretty good on their own, but now with Pie, some extra features can hopefully be brought in (adaptive battery, digital wellbeing, etc..).

See their press release below:


ASUS Announces Android 9.0 Pie Update for ZenFone 5 Series
The new system update brings several new features, including an all-new contextual pop-up volume bar and a new Magnifier feature for easier copy-and-paste
           
MARKAM, Canada, November 20, 2018 — ASUS today announced that the ZenFone 5 Series (ZenFone 5, ZenFone 5Z and ZenFone 5Q) is scheduled to receive the Android 9.0 Pie system update in the very near future.
The new software will be distributed automatically via a firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) update according to the schedule listed below.
Model
Model No.
Android 9.0 Pie Release Schedule
ZenFone 5
ZE620KL
Early-Q1 2019
ZenFone 5Z
ZS620KL
End-January 2019
ZenFone 5Q
ZC600KL
End-January 2019

Instructions - automatic FOTA procedure
Once the update is available, a notification will automatically appear on the phone's status bar. The user just needs to tap on the notification to download the update.
Once download is completed, a pop-up notification to install the update will appear: tapping 'Install' will then start the installation.
The device will reboot twice during the installation of the update. Users should not turn off the device until the home screen appears.

Manual download/install procedure
It may take about one week for the system to complete the auto push. If the update notification/prompt is not received, it can be checked and initiated manually via the Settings > System > System Updates menu path.