Android 8 Oreo

Version 8.0 of Android

We finally know one of the best kept secrets to the date: the name of the new version of Google's mobile operating system that until now was simply known as Android O. After speculating about the possible name of the sweet, candy or chocolate that would come along in this version of Android, we now know that it will be officially called Android 8 Oreo, as a tribute to one of the most famous cookies in the world, that cream sandwich with two round chocolate biscuits.

The successor of Android 7 Nougat is finally here.

But beyond the name that has had us worried over the last few months (especially since the first developer preview was released back in March of 2017), this new version of the most popular mobile platform in the world is full of new features to turn it into the smartest, most powerful, and fastest mobile OS at present and that intends to wipe out the so-called Android fragmentation once and for all thanks to the Treble project.

Main features and functions of Android 8 Oreo

As we said before, this implementation of Android comes along with a long list of new features focused on making the most of our phone's performance and that we can summarize in the following features:

• Picture in Picture (PiP) mode: tiny floating window with videos whilst we use another app in full-screen mode.
• New 2-layer adaptive icons to normalize the logos of different apps.
• Notification channels to configure which notifications we want to receive from each app.
• Possibility to postpone notifications and schedule when we wish to receive them.
• Hierarchization of notifications granting priority to the most important ones.
• Notification dots that appear next to the icon of each application.
• Autofill system for usernames and passwords inherited from Google Chrome.
• Renovation of the settings bar and quick settings menu.
• Possibility to add our own ringtones and notification sounds.
• Changes to the way we manage the installation of APKs from unknown sources.
• Smart text selector to carry out actions on the marked text in the corresponding app.
• Option to automatically activate reliable WiFi networks even when disabled.
• New range of emojis and emoticons to be used in our instant messaging and social network apps.
• Compatibility with multiple screens to connect our phone to an external monitor.
• Reduction in the use of resources and battery on behalf of apps running in the background.
• Improvements to WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.
• Option to browse through app menus using keyboard arrows and the tab key.
• WebView for Android to protect the user's security when browsing the web from an application.

Release date: when is Android Oreo out?

There's not a fixed release date for this version as it will depend on its implementation on behalf of each manufacturer. What we do know is that from right now you can download the factory images for devices built by Google, such as its Nexus range (5X and 6P) and its Pixel range (C and XL).

Therefore, if you haven't got any of the previous handsets, you're going to have to wait a little bit longer until Samsung, Huawei and the rest of them release Oreo for their Galaxy S7 and S8 or their P9 and P10. In any case, the update will be carried out OTA and you'll receive a notification on your device whenever it's ready so you don't have to explore the Internet looking for downloadable images.

What handsets will be compatible with Android 8?

Well, apart from the phones made by Google that we mentioned above, we expect all Android smartphone from the major manufacturers to eventually receive an updated to Oreo. These are the main brands and models that will receive Android 8:

• Samsung: Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy A3, Galaxy A5, Galaxy A7, Galaxy A8, and Galaxy A9.
• LG: G6, G5, V30, V20, and V10.
• Huawei: P10, P10 Plus, Mate 9, Mate 9 Pro y Honor 9.
• Lenovo: Moto G5 Plus, Moto G5, Moto Z, Moto Z2 Play, Moto Z Play, Moto Z Style, and Moto Z2 Force.
• HTC: U11, U Ultra, and 10.
• OnePlus: 5, 3, and 3T.
• Sony: Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZS, Xperia L1, Xperia XZ, Xperia XZS, and Xperia X.

Requirements and additional information:

• Requires flashing the factory image onto the device by means of Android SDK.
• The images provided in the download link correspond to Nexus and Pixel devices.