What does the O stand for? It’s got to be Oreo, right? Read the latest news and rumours about the 2017 Android O name, new features, UK launch date and public beta.
Google has made available the public beta of Android O, meaning everyone (everyone with a compatible Nexus or Pixel device) can try out the upcoming OS and see the new features ahead of its final release later this summer. Also see: How to watch Google I/O 2017
Android O focuses on ‘fluid experiences’ and vitals, with new features headlining during its first public appearance at Google I/O 2017 including picture in picture (multi-windowing mode) , notification dots (long-press an app shortcut to view the notification right there onscreen) , autofill (like in Chrome but now in apps) , and Smart Text Selection (automatically recognises names, addresses and phone numbers so you don’t have to fiddle around with selection handles; it can also suggest a relevant app) .
Android O is much more streamlined than Nougat with various OS optimisations. The bottom line, according to Google, is that devices boot twice as fast and all apps run faster and smoother by default.
On the subject of apps Google is also introducing Play Protect, which installs every app on a per-device basis in order to keep things ultra-secure.
O also adds ‘wise limits’ to background processes such as location tracking to sensibly keep battery usage at a reasonable level.
The company noted that there were many more changes coming to the OS, which it didn’t have time to talk about during the keynote, including such things as a redesigned Settings menu and Project Treble – the latter in essence ensuring all users get Android OS updates much faster.
Also see: What is Android Go? and What is Google Lens?
Following Android Alpha and Android Beta, Google has always named its Android OS updates after sweet treats, and in alphabetical order. So far we’ve had Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat, Lollipop, Marshmallow and Nougat.
Google had real difficulty deciding what to call Android N and, in the end, began a naming challenge at Google I/O 2016. That didn’t happen at I/O 2017, which means it probably already knows what it’s going to call Android O.
In 2017 Google will be looking for a sweet treat beginning with O. Trouble is, there really aren’t that many. The Tech Advisor team could come up with Oreo, Orange, Oatcake and Oh! Henry (the latter obviously being our favourite, given this) . It could even shake things up entirely and shock us all with something like Android OMG. (We’re joking, but we kind of like it.)
A sign that the upcoming OS could be called Android Oreo was also offered at Google I/O 2017, when the attendees to the US press event were offered Oreo cookies in the press room. However, apparently they were also given out at Google I/O 2016, and at the UK press event THERE WERE NO OREOS. Where were our Oreos?
Google’s Hiroshi Lockheimer has been stirring things up on Twitter, seemingly suggesting Android Oreo is the most likely candidate. But is he pulling our leg? Quite possibly, given he has also tweeted an image of Pocky (chocolate cream covered biscuit sticks) with the caption #2018. Also see: Essential Android apps and Best Android games
A week later he was at it again. Is he pulling our leg?
Trouble is, there are few sweet treats we can think of beginning with an O, so it could well be Android Oreo as rumoured.
What do you think the next version of Android will be called? (If you choose Other comment below and let us know what you think.)
Given that Android Marshmallow was Android 6.0 and Android Nougat was Android 7.0-7.1, we would assume that Android O will be Android 8.0. But Google hasn’ t always done things this way, and Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean and KitKat were all 4.x updates. Also see: Android Nougat review
Google surprised us in 2016 by taking the wraps off the Developer Preview of Android Nougat in advance of its summer Google I/O conference, and in March 2017 it did the same again with Android O.
The first public beta for Android O was then made available at Google I/O on 17 May.
The final release of Android N came in August 2016 with little fanfare and no new hardware, so the chances are we’ll see the company follow that same format in 2017. (The new hardware came later, with the Google Pixel and Pixel XL unveiled in early October.)
Our money is on an August release for Android O, with the new Pixel 2 coming later in September or October. At Google I/O the company merely said it would be available “later this summer”. Also see: Android Nougat vs iOS 10
It’s definitely on the horizon, and OnePlus CEO Pete Lau recently confirmed the new OS is coming to the OnePlus 3 and 3T. So OEMs are working on integration and we are confident of a steady stream of updates to a variety of devices.
With the release of the Android O Developer Preview several new features have been confirmed.
Many of the new features regard notifications, and in Android O we will see user-customisable notification channels whereby alerts are grouped by type. Users will be able to snooze notifications, and devs can set time limits for notifications to time out. Also adjustable will be the background colours of notifications, and the messaging style.
At Google I/O 2017 we learned about notification dots – when you have a notification a small dot appears on the shortcut for that app. Long-press the app shortcut and you’ll be able to view the notification right there without pulling down the drop-down notification bar.
Android O will be able to recognise names, addresses and phone numbers – some of the most commonly copied information types – so you no longer need to fiddle around with text handles (it will automatically select the correct portion of the text) . As well as the usual copy and paste controls Android O is also able to serve up relevant app suggestions for how you might wish to use that data.
In Android Nougat Google introduced the ability to restrict certain app activities in the background, and in Android O it improves on this by placing the priority on extending battery life without user-input.
We’ve previously seen autofill in Chrome, and with Android O Google is bringing it to apps. Users will have to opt in to this service, but will then find it easier to fill in login and credit-card information forms with fewer mistakes and much less repetition.
Picture-in-picture (a multi-windowing mode) , which is already available on Android TV, is coming to Android O.
Android O won’t be restricted to phones, so there will be improved arrow and tab key navigation for when used with a physical keyboard .
Icons in Android O will support visual effects and can be displayed in various shapes on different devices.
Wi-Fi Aware will allows apps and nearby devices to discover and communicate over Wi-Fi without an internet access point. We’ll also see improved Bluetooth support for high-quality audio through the Sony LDAC codec, and new ways for third-party calling apps to work with each other and with your network operator’s special features.
We discussed Android O in our podcast:
Interestingly, Android O will be able to support multiple displays, allowing a user to move an activity to one screen to the next.
Every app will have a storage space quota for cached data, and when the system needs to free up disk space it will delete data from apps using more than their allocated quota first.
Google says it has made the profile owner and device owner management modes more powerful, productive and easier to provision than ever, with highlights including the ability to use a managed profile on a corporate-owned device and enterprise management for file-based encryption.
You can read about the new updates coming to Android O in more detail over on the Android Developer’s site .
We were already aware of a few user-facing features coming to Android O thanks to a tip-off from VentureBeat, though there was no confirmation that they would make it through to the final build.
This feature is expected to ease copying text from one app and pasting it within another by giving suggestions in the second app as to what you might be about to type based on what you were doing in the previous app.
