Following several rumours about the reveal of Android O, Google put up a teaser site which counts down the time until the launch on August 21. Google will be live-streaming the event from New York City at 2.40pm ET to coincide with the time of the solar eclipse. “Android O is touching down to Earth with the total solar eclipse”, the site says, “bringing some super new (sweet) powers!”
The Android O, which we know as the Android 8.0 version, was originally launched back in March and is currently in its fourth developer preview. We can expect the internet search giant to finally unveil the codename for the upcoming Android version and reveal what the O in the Android O stands for, at the event.
However, according to a new report, a file name of a teaser trailer video that Google posted on its own Google+ profile was spotted having the name “Oreo”. Going by Google’s traditional snack-themed codenames in the past, Oreo could very well be what the next Android version is called.
As for the other things we can look forward to during the event, Google will start pushing out OTA updates for Pixel and Pixel XL first followed by updates for older Google devices within the next few days.
After the developer previews, we can say that the Android O is hardly a mystery anymore. The upcoming OS brings in a big revamp of the notification panel with a whole new range of colours, a new layout, and added features like snoozing. In a bid to improve its overall performance and expand the battery life, Google is clamping down on unnecessary background apps.
Furthermore, there are new emojis, a faster booting time, an all new settings app, and additional security enhancements including the new ‘Google Play Protect’ anti-malware branding. Another highlight of the Android O is that it brings Project Treble to new devices, which is a modularization of the operating system away from the hardware. This should make rolling out the future Android updates easier.
Stay tuned as we keep you updated on further Android O-related news and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
