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Android "Oreo" is the eighth major update and the 15th version of the Android operating system. It was first released as an alpha quality developer preview in March 2017 and released to the public on August 21, 2017.
It contains a number of major features, including notification grouping, picture-in-picture support for video, performance improvements and battery usage optimization, and support for autofillers, Bluetooth 5, system-level integration with VoIP apps, wide color gamuts, and Wi-Fi Aware. Android Oreo also introduces two major platform features: Android Go – a software distribution of the operating system for low-end devices – and support for implementing a hardware abstraction layer.
As of 23 July 2018, 12.1% of Android devices run Oreo, with 10.1% on 8.0 and 2.0% on 8.1.
It's official — the newest version of Google's mobile operating system is called Android 8.0 Oreo, and it's in the process of rolling out to many different devices. Oreo has plenty of changes in store, ranging from revamped looks to under-the-hood improvements, so there's tons of cool new stuff to explore.
If you own a recent flagship device, Android Oreo will likely be hitting your phone in the coming months if it's not already there. But if you're curious about this new version, or if you already have it on your phone, let's go ahead and take a look at all of the new features and functionality in Android 8.0.
Android 8.1 Oreo is available on the Android Open Source Project, and will roll out the update to Pixel and Nexus devices within the next week. While Google did not announce a rollout for other devices, you can keep track of when you can expect an update for your phone here.
There aren’t a ton of new features in Android 8.1 compared to Android 8.0, but some handy changes have been made. For example, the preview includes a test for allowing apps to make a notification sound only once per second. Autofill is also greatly improved in the update.
Perhaps the most helpful change is a battery indicator for your Bluetooth devices, which will appear next to the Bluetooth indicator in the Quick Settings. Apart from that, most of the changes are aesthetic. For example, the user interface will change based on your wallpaper. In other words, if you have a darker wallpaper, things like the quick settings menu will change to a darker gray, while they are otherwise white. That seems to only apply when the wallpaper is visible. The quick settings menu has become semi-transparent, so you will be able to faintly see what’s behind it.
Next up is the Settings menu, which has been overhauled to be similar to what you’ll find on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL — making them much easier to use.
Even the notifications bar has gotten a bit of an update in Android 8.1. When it’s inactive, it will now dim — which may be an attempt to prevent things like screen burn-in on the Google Pixel 2.
Finally, we also have a proper Android Oreo easter egg, which you can access by going to “About phone” and tapping the Android version seven times. The easter egg basically just displays an Oreo cookie, instead of the previous Android O orange icon.
The update also activates the Pixel Visual Core system-on-a-chip (SoC), which is the image processor built into the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL specifically for processing photos. According to Google, that SoC will make image processing a little smoother, which could be very helpful for things like Google Lens.
HOW TO INSTALL ANDROID OREO
There are two ways to install Android Oreo: OTA (over the air, or using menus within the phone itself) or manually. OTA is the easiest — in the coming days, you’ll get a notification on your Pixel, Nexus 5X/6P, Pixel C, or Nexus Player to upgrade to Android Oreo. You’ll get the same notification if you are enrolled in the Android Beta Program. Just follow the prompts to install the update.
You don’t have to wait to install Android Oreo, though. You can download factory images from Google’s Android Developer page and install it manually, but it requires a little more technical know-how. Check out our in-depth guide to installing Android Oreo for more.
Don’t own a Nexus or Pixel devices? Not to worry. Google says it’s working with partners including Essential, General Mobile, HMD Global Home of Nokia Phones, Huawei, HTC, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp and Sony to launch or upgrade devices to Android 8.0 Oreo by the end of this year.
NEW FEATURES IN ANDROID OREO
Better public Wi-Fi connections with Oreo
How large an impact this change will have on you depends entirely on how often you find yourself connecting to public Wi-Fi connections when out-and-about. If you’re the sort of person who likes to save their mobile data, or just doesn’t have much data to go around, then this change is likely to be a large boon to you.
On January 22, the Android Twitter account announced that a new update for Android 8.1 Oreo would be rolling out that added speed descriptors to public Wi-Fi connections, ranging from Slow to Very Fast. Slow isn’t great for anything except Wi-Fi-assisted calling and text, while if you’re looking to stream Netflix, then Google recommends you wait until you find a Fast connection.
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