Android 8.0 ‘Oreo’ official with a focus on battery life and security
GOOGLE HAS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED Android 8.0, and just as expected, it’s called ‘Oreo’.
Oreo, which was launched to coincide with the solar eclipse, ain’t about flashy new features, and Google is instead hoping to improve the Android user experience through “vitals”, which will see it focus on improvements to battery life, stability, and security.
For example, the firm says that by limiting the background activity of less-used apps, users will get more juice from their smartphone, while improvements to the boot speed will see the Google Pixel, for example, starting up twice as fast as before.
Security is a major focus of Android Oreo, with Google cracking down on the ever-growing problem of Android malware with a new tool called Google Play Protect.
“Play Protect is built into every device with Google Play, is always updating, and automatically takes action to keep your data and device safe, so you don’t have to lift a finger, ” Dave Burke, VP of engineering at Google said.
“Play Protect detects and removes apps that might be harmful. And with more than 50 billion apps scanned every day, our machine learning systems are always on the lookout for new risks.”
Other new features debuting in Android Oreo include a picture-in-picture mode (below) , iOS-style notification dots, Android Instant Apps and 60 new emoji.
Google has said that Android Oreo will begin rolling out to the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X and the Nexus Player shortly, once carrier testing is complete, while those on the Android beta programme will start receiving the final version of Android 8.0 from today.
Google has also announced that it has been working with OEM partners, including HMD Global Home of Nokia Phones, Huawei, HTC, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony, who will roll out Android 8.0 updates before the end of the year, or launch new devices running Oreo.
Despite some rumours to the contrary, Google didn’t today unveil the much-rumoured Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2. Instead, these devices likely will debut in October. µ
