Keeping an end to the rumour mill, Google has finally announced the name of the Android 8.0, and it's the much expected Android Oreo. For the unaware, Google released the first developer preview of Android O back in March 2017. After more than five months of rigorous testing, Google released the Android O to the general public.
So, if you're already on the Developer Preview of Android O, then the update weighs under 50MB, and for new installs, the update weighs in around 1GB. With the Android O update, Google yet again promises better battery life than the previous iterations of Android. Apart from the battery life, the Android Oreo also brings in a slew of changes to the OS. Here's everything you need to know about Android O.
When will your device receive it?
Well, Google is already rolling out the update to its Pixel and Nexus devices, and depending on your region, you'll receive the update. For example, I have received the Android O for my Nexus 5X already. And if you're a non Pixel or Nexus user, then you have to wait a bit longer for your manufacturer to roll out the update. HMD Global is expected to release the update to the existing Android smartphones by the end of this month.
Features of Android 8.0 Oreo
Speaking about the features added by Google in the Android O, the search giant has made some changes to the notification panel, slight modifications to app icons, new emojis, better battery life, notification channel, Picture-in-Picture mode, etc.
The highlight of the update would be the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode. The PiP mode was originally introduced to Android in the Android Nougat. However, it was available only for Android TV devices, but Google is now rolling it to smartphones and tablets.
Basically, with the PiP mode, you can start a video and browse any other application, same as how YouTube functions. In YouTube, you can start a video and can minimise it to browse other videos. Nevertheless, developers need to separately add this feature to their application.
Faster OS Upgrades
Yet another feature which Google has been touting for years now. However, with Android O, Google is a taking this thing a bit serious. Google is calling this project as Project Treble, under which the company has created a modular structure. With this modular structure, third-party vendors can separate out their modifications from the core Android OS, meaning they can customise their features without touching the core Android OS.
Better Battery Life
Google introduced the Doze mode with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and taken it to a whole new level in Android Nougat. And now, Google is making Doze more innovative and is claimed to offer better battery life in Android O.
There are several other features in the Android O. We will be posting a complete review of the Android O later today. Stay tuned for that.
