Yesterday, Google officially revealed the name of the next Android iteration. This version has been know as Android O for the last few months as the developer preview rolled out. The search giant has revealed that it will go with Android Oreo for Android 8.0.
Google engineers will be uploading Android 8.0 Oreo’s code to the Android Open Source Project later today. The company will push out Oreo updates to the Pixel, Pixel C, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, and Nexus Player very soon, no exact date has been given as of writing this. If you enrolled to be part of the Android Beta Program, you will be getting the final build of Android Oreo at the same time as the supported Nexus and Pixel devices get the update.
Google has also revealed that by the end of the year, we should have devices from HMD Global (Nokia), Huawei, HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sony and other to either launch with Android Oreo or for existing devices to be updated. HMD Global has been vocal about updates and since the Nokia devices it releases come with pure Android, we will probably see Android 8.0 update on the Nokia 3, 5, 6 and 8 very soon.
At this point, it is a race for the manufacturers to see who will be the first to have a device with Android Oreo. Samsung will be releasing the Galaxy Note 8 tomorrow but I do not expect it to come with Android Oreo. Even with that said, I expect it to get the update later in the year.
What Is New with Android 8.0 Oreo?
So, the question is, what will you be getting with Android 8.0 Oreo. One of the biggest additions is picture-in-picture support which lets you see two apps at once. This is different from the split screen mode as picture-in-picture lets you use an app, let’s say watch videos in a floating window while you’re using other apps. At the moment, picture-in-picture is supported Chrome, Play Movies, Duo, WhatsApp, and VLC.
Android 8.0 Oreo also brings Notification dots that appear next to the app icons on the app drawer and on the home screen. As the name suggests, these dots appear when you have notifications from the app.
Android Oreo comes with Google Play Protect built-in for better security. In addition to this, this update will limit background overuse of the battery by the apps as well as ensure faster boot speeds. When switched on, Autofill on Android Oreo will be able to remember your login credentials to certain apps for easy and faster access to your accounts. You will have to give it permission to do this though, this is to ensure security and privacy.
One other interesting addition with Android Oreo is what Google is calling Android Instant apps that allow you to access them without any installation.
These are just the few additions that Android Oreo is introducing to the ecosystem, you can find out more here.
