On August 21, as expected, Google released Android 8.0 Oreo for compatible Pixel and Nexus devices.

We rushed to install the update on our smartphone and reviewed all the innovations of the new Android Oreo operating system.

Interface and design

The design of Android has not undergone any significant changes - it is still the same Lollipop with some modifications. For example, Google redesigned the quick settings curtain and the settings menu. Now everything is done in white and gray tones, the settings are grouped, and the side menu is no longer there. The quick settings curtain also became gray, and the date information, the “Edit” button and the settings icon moved to the bottom.

I was pleasantly surprised by the new animation when opening the notification curtain when there are several notifications.

Notification channels

Notification channels give you the ability to customize notifications for each action. For example, like and subscribe on Instagram are two different notifications. You can remove some of them, you can install different sounds, and so on. By the way, now there are a huge number of notifications that are simply unnecessary. For example, when chatting on Facebook Messenger, you will see notifications that cannot be brushed away.

Colored notifications

Developers now have the ability to change the background of notifications so that the user can quickly distinguish them. For now, the most striking example will be Google Play Music.

Notification Dots

If there is an unviewed notification from any application, a dot will be displayed in the upper right corner of the icon, and with a long tap, a preview will appear. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to test the feature yet, as it either doesn't work on our Nexus 6P or there are no supporting apps.

Long press widgets

The situation with widgets is similar - it doesn’t work on the Nexus 6P. The point of the function is that the user can quickly add a new widget to the home screen without having to “wander” for a long time through the list of widgets. Just long press on the Gmail icon and you can see and select any desired widget from the email client.

System UI Tuner

In the first beta version of Android O, Google seriously pumped up the System UI Tuner tool. It had many useful settings, but later almost all menu items disappeared. All that remains is the ability to customize the status bar.

Picture-in-picture (YouTube Red, Chrome)

Picture-in-Picture mode has generated a lot of buzz, but it's of little practical use since it doesn't work without a YouTube Red subscription. You can bypass the limitation by adding a corresponding button to the navigation bar. Previously, this could be done using the System UI Tuner, but Google later removed this feature. It's worth noting that you can minimize videos viewed through Chrome without any problems, but first you need to open them in full screen and then press the Home button.

Don't forget that besides YouTube, there are other applications that will soon receive support for Picture-in-Picture mode. This will be very convenient in video chats. Already now, in Google Duo you can simultaneously talk with someone and, for example, correspond in messenger. In this case, the caller's image will be displayed in some corner of the screen.

Autofill in apps

Any modern user knows that entering hundreds of passwords a day in each application is a real pain. Google understands this, which is why they introduced the autocomplete feature. With the user's permission, the system will fill in the login and password fields automatically based on previous logins and saved passwords in Google Chrome. Interestingly, with some banking clients, autofill worked in the latest beta version, but after updating to release it stopped working. Apparently, we will have to wait until the developers adapt their software.

The copy and paste function has been present in all devices for about 8 years, and it would seem that there is nothing to improve there? However, Google engineers have a different opinion. The new Android recognizes what information you're copying and makes suggestions accordingly. Double-click on the phone number. The smartphone will highlight it and immediately offer to go to the Phone application. The same thing happens with the address and company names.

Smart storage

A new “Smart Storage” feature has appeared in the settings. When activated, all photos and videos that were synchronized and taken more than 90 days ago will be deleted from the device.

Responsive Icons

Manufacturers of Android smartphones often use icons of different shapes in their shells, which are not always made in the same style as application icons from Google Play. Android Oreo solves this problem by allowing developers to create what are called responsive icons. One application can have several icons of different shapes. The system analyzes the desktop and displays the desired one.

Performance and autonomy

Google continues to refine the Doze mode, which was designed to save battery power. A smartphone running the new version of Android will limit the activities of applications in the background. For example, location updates will be disabled. You, as a user, will not have to configure anything; Doze mode will be active by default.

Google engineers also worked on performance. According to the company, Nexus and Pixel devices running Android Oreo turn on twice as fast as those running .

Muti-Display

Android Oreo fixes some issues with multi-display support. You can now drag and drop an application from one screen to another. Of course, there aren't many use cases for an Android device with multiple displays, but sometimes it comes in handy.

Improved Bluetooth sound

More and more manufacturers are abandoning the headphone jack in favor of Bluetooth, but the sound quality of wireless headsets often leaves much to be desired. Android 8 will support new audio codecs that will provide better sound quality. In addition, Google added Sony LDAC technology, which provides Hi-Res Audio playback via Bluetooth.

NAN

NAN (neighborhood aware networking) is a feature that allows devices to communicate with each other without a Wi-Fi connection. This is designed to transfer small amounts of data at high speed. For example, sensor data can be shared in this way.

One of the most interesting innovations was that Wi-Fi would automatically turn on under certain conditions, such as when you returned home from work. For some reason, Google removed this feature in the final version of Android 8.

APK files

The principle of installing applications bypassing Google Play has changed somewhat. Every program or game must get permission to download and run APK files. Applications not installed from the official store are deprived of some features. For example, they will not have access to GPS, but this can be changed in the settings.

Emoji

Google has made a major redesign of emoji - they are now much more similar to emoji in iOS. If you are a “pure” Android user and have been using standard emoji for a long time, this will probably be unusual. According to Google, the redesign was carried out to ensure that users of different platforms do not encounter difficulties.

The main problem with Android was and remains the lack of updates to the latest versions of the system. Google offers Project Treble as a solution. The essence of the project is that every user can receive an update - regardless of manufacturer, processor and other characteristics. Typically, manufacturers have to update their own skin before releasing an update, but with Treble, companies don't have to make any effort.

At one time, Google put a lot of effort into ensuring that developers could release an application that would work on billions of Android devices without any additional effort. Treble will work in a similar way.

Rescue Party

The main purpose of the Rescue Party feature is to prevent the eternal reboot that smartphones can experience when updating the system, installing custom firmware, or simply manually rebooting. This will be especially useful for Nexus 6P owners.

Android 8.0 Oreo can recognize when the device has gone into an eternal reboot. If the smartphone tries to boot, but encounters an endless iteration and the same error, the system will detect this and try to restore it. If recovery is impossible, the smartphone will be rebooted into recovery, from where you can reset it to factory settings.

Rescue Party is in /services /core /java /com /android /server /RescueParty /java. The code is executed if system_server is restarted more than 5 times within 5 minutes, or if the service crashes 5 times within 30 seconds.

This concludes our review of Android Oreo. If we missed something or you have interesting additions and observations, write in the comments.

Oreo is the official name of the Android 8.0 mobile operating system, the official release of which took place on August 21, the day of . As you know, Google names each next large-scale Android update after some kind of sweet, and does this strictly in alphabetical order. For example, the previous version - Android 7.x - was called Nougat (“nougat”). True, in most cases, marketers used common names, while Oreo is a trademark of cream-filled cookies, the rights to which belong to the Nabisco confectionery factory. But this approach is not new; just remember Android 4.4 KitKat, whose name was borrowed from a chocolate bar produced by Nestle.

The sources of Android 8.0 Oreo are already available in Android's Open Source Platform (AOSP), as for the Pixel and Nexus 5X/6P smartphones, as well as the Pixel C tablet and the Nexus Player, the new firmware for them is undergoing the final stage of testing and will be released in the near future time. The timing of updates for devices from other manufacturers, as usual, will largely depend on the efficiency of the manufacturers themselves.

What new will owners of smartphones and tablets see after their gadgets receive Android 8.0 Oreo? One of the most notable innovations is Notification Dots, or notification dots. Its essence boils down to the fact that to read the notifications of a particular application without launching it, just hold your finger on its shortcut.

If while playing a video you need to perform any other actions on your smartphone, you do not have to interrupt the viewing. You can use the Picture-in-Picture feature, which reduces the size of the image and places it in the corner of the screen. Currently, only a few programs can work in this mode, but in the future all players and instant messengers with video chats will probably support it.

Speaking of chats: for lovers of non-verbal communication in virtual space, Android 8.0 Oreo redrew all existing emoji and added 60 new ones. Another change regarding the interface is a simpler structure of the settings menu, in which it has become faster to find the necessary items.

The phone itself also loads faster - according to the developers, on the Pixel smartphone the startup speed has doubled. At the same time, background activity of applications was limited, which should have a positive effect on the battery life of devices.

They also worked on security: the Google Play Protect function has appeared, which automatically scans applications and the rest of the system. In addition, Google Play Protect will help you find your device if it is lost.

Among the other innovations, we note auto-filling of logins and passwords for applications, support for Instant Apps enabled by default (the ability to launch programs without installing them), adaptive shortcuts and “smart” text selection Smart Text Selection, capable of distinguishing phone numbers, email addresses, etc. .

The Android system has virtually no competitors. That is why most devices work on its basis. But developers keep up with the times, so they are constantly working to improve the existing functions and capabilities of the system.

We will dedicate this material to the OS Android 8.0(it is also called Android Oreo, which is abbreviated as Android O) and find out what advantages the latest version will have.

So, first we will outline a short list of functions that users of the latest version of Android will be able to enjoy:

• faster operating speed, if paralleled with older versions;
• improved protection system;
• improved artificial intelligence will be able to cover a wider range of devices;
• VR development;
• wide palette of colors;
• classic Android applications are optimized;
• Google adds Bluetooth Codec - LDAC from Sony. This will significantly improve the audio quality.

At the first stage, Android 8.0 will be able to support devices, Android One, tablets and smartphones from Google. It will also be supported by all flagship devices and Samsung Galaxy S8 / S8 Edge / S8 Plus. The public version will be released in the third quarter of 2017. This will probably happen in August-September this year.

Features and Settings in Android 8

Background applications

In the new version of the operating system offered to a wide audience, Google has begun to eliminate aimlessly “hanging” applications that devour the smartphone’s charge and do not bring any obvious benefit to the user. The developers are working to increase the battery life on a single charge. In their work, developers struggle with meaningless broadcasts and various working help services. The new version of the system will carefully check each program for the parameter of need.

How has the notification shade changed?

Once in the notification shade, the user will be able to see a number of visual adjustments in the latest version of Android.

The six-row strip of upper switches now covers a larger area than before. The order of the toggle switches has now been slightly changed, if compared with the previously popular one. Pleasant to the eye, the current date font makes it possible to cover a small area. This is convenient because the status bar now displays many more shortcuts.
From now on, the most noticeable elements are flashlight, network, Wi-fi, and Bluetooth.

Notifications and nuances of working with them

The developers have made some changes to the notification processing area. If you click on a specific notification a couple of times in a row, you will notice a special switch that allows you to disable all notifications of a specific application without exception. Users will no doubt appreciate these changes.

Swiping on a specific notification in any direction allows the user to perform two actions: either set up all kinds of notifications, or the function of setting the delay of this notification for a certain period of time - 15 seconds, half a minute or 1 minute.

Features of quick settings

If you go to the quick settings screen, the curtain of the new version of Android will reflect to the user an identical color scheme as Google Android Nougat.

But in the special quick settings menu, some key things have changed. From now on, LTE settings, Bluetooth and other settings have a double function. Touching the icon once will simply activate the function. If you long press on it, an auxiliary mini-settings menu will open. The new version, like the previous one, will allow you to edit existing quick settings, for example, you can turn on the flashlight and other functions important for the user in the notification curtain.

Counters on application shortcuts

The latest version of Android has received long-awaited built-in support for counter programs that are designed for application icons. We are talking about a miniature shortcut that shows the user’s missed emails or calls right in the frame of the application icon. It is worth emphasizing that Google decided to implement this solution, repeating iOS.

Features of the new settings menu

The “Settings” menu of the much-anticipated Android O has received a large number of visual changes. It is known that the two devices - Pixel as well as Nexus - are getting a black and white color format, but with a slight difference in shades. The developers also adjusted the settings menu. You may notice that the hamburger menu icon, which was previously reserved for developers, is missing.

But this is not the key change. The Settings menu has changed dramatically. It has shortened. Unlike the old version of Android N, it now no longer has such familiar categories as “device”, “wireless and networks”. The loss of these functions is compensated for by detailed sections that have appeared in the updated, improved version. Now users will be able to see “Networks and Internet”, “Applications and notifications” and other important but unusual categories. Thanks to this, the menu is now much clearer.

Numerous subsections of the Settings menu have also received a new look. It can be argued that all the significant settings from the previous version remain, you just have to spend time finding them.

What is now characteristic of the updated status bar?

To find the Android O System Ui Tuner, you will have to go this way: select “menu settings”, then go to the “System” section. The user will see four areas. These are: a clear and simple navigation panel, a lock screen, a panel reflecting the status of programs and applications, as well as a Do Not Disturb mode. The status bar, as before, contains a list of switches for enabling or disabling shortcuts. If the user needs to remove any icon, this can be done easily.

The option to display the remaining battery charge as a percentage has completely disappeared (let me remind you that this function was available in the System UI Tuner in Nougat). But this missing moment is compensated by the “Show percentage” option that has appeared in the new version of Android that we are discussing. The remaining percentage figure can be seen near the battery icon.

How has Do Not Disturb changed?

The Do Not Disturb option now has a couple of switches. The first is necessary in order to enable the “do not disturb” mode (it can be found under the visual volume slider). The second one is necessary in order to add a shortcut to the button responsible for the volume.

What's new in the navigation bar?

The navigation bar will delight users with many interesting features. In the new version we are discussing, you will notice a display template option. This function will allow you to choose between normal, right and left placement of labels to the overall edge. This innovation will be highly appreciated by users who have devices with large screens.

The new version of the system will also allow you to add additional buttons to the left and right of the usual navigation buttons on the display. You can, for example, select the clipboard or keyboard switch.
We can’t help but mention the “Clipboard” button, which will allow you to save the required fragment of text (or all text) to the clipboard. After this, you can drag the copied text fragment to any location. This point will be highly appreciated by those users who constantly work with text, and also often copy phone numbers and a number of other elements.

What changes has the lock screen undergone?

At first it may seem that the lock screen in the new version of Android under discussion is practically no different from the version of Android 7. But the difference is that now the user will have the opportunity to customize and configure it. The shortcuts that can be seen at the bottom in the left and also in the right corner (these are the camera shortcut and the voice assistant shortcut) can now be changed to whatever your heart desires. This change is one of the most anticipated and useful features in the new progressive version of Android O.

In addition, the developers decided to revise the Ambient Display mode. From now on, on the slightly dimmed screen of the device, the user will be able to see not only the clock, but also other important information.

Other minor changes worth noting

Minor changes are also taking place in Android O. For example, the familiar Downloads application has changed its name. It was simply called "Files". The user will have to search for a long time for the “Memory” section. And all because he went to the developer tab.

What is audio like now?

Audio sounds have now improved. This happened due to the fact that Sony gave its LDAC codec to Google. This means that now all users of the new version of Android who have Bluetooth headphones that support LDAC will be able to enjoy excellent sound quality. But audio can be improved not only thanks to the support of this codec. Supports aptx as well as aptX HD. The developers did not forget about SBC and AAC. For music lovers, there are settings for the sampling rate of audio sounds and bits. In addition, the system adds its own API for special applications that require high-precision audio.

Developers working on notification channels

Notification channels have not yet been appreciated by users to the extent that developers expected. But it's only a matter of time. In fact, their significance is significant. They help the application divide the entire range of notifications into a wide variety of topics, which can be blocked individually or allowed.
The user will be able to manage them instantly by holding down a tap on the application notification in the notification shade that appears.

How do you install applications from unverified sources now?

In the previous version, when installing web applications from an unknown source (except Google Play), the user was required to pay attention to the security settings and select “Unknown sources”. But in the new version described, everything is now different. From now on, the user must give his permission to applications used for the ARC boot process.

Responsive Icons

Google uses these icons to communicate that in the near future, Android home screens will have a consistent style and appearance. This point was borrowed from iOS.

A number of other innovations

In addition to the innovations listed above, there is another pleasant moment for users - the Wi-fi Awareness function. It is necessary so that the new version of Android can interact with other devices and web applications via Wi-Fi, without obliging the user to actually connect to the Global Network. By the way, Android Run-Time, which is responsible for the processing speed of phone applications, now works somewhat differently, since from now on some optimization points are taken into account.

Let's sum it up

As you can see, Android 8 will receive many new useful features. At the same time, some old functions have been eliminated and transformed into a more user-friendly format. Users will appreciate the ability to manage notifications and the updated design of the settings menu. If we talk about my personal impressions, I can say the following: I am pleasantly impressed with the set of new functions and am pleased with the adjustments that the developers have made. Therefore, I recommend everyone to quickly evaluate all the innovations that the Android O version has offered.

Next update Android will.

Update: Motorola has confirmed that most of the latest phones will receive the update soon, including the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus, which were initially delisted for the update (a marketing mistake). It has now been confirmed that the Essential Phone will be updated to Oreo in the next few months.

Android Oreo is the official name of the next version of Google's popular mobile operating system, available now for select devices.

In terms of core features, Oreo focuses on speed and efficiency. For most smartphones updated to Android 8.0, otherwise known as Oreo, loading speeds will be as much as twice as fast as we've already seen on the Google Pixel. Additionally, updating your operating system will pay attention to background activity that drains your battery and mobile data.

While Oreo comes with subtle visual changes, there are a few that promise to be useful, including a Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode for apps like YouTube, Hangouts and others, and a redesigned notification layout that promises to make it easier to check notifications.

Below you will learn more about the best features available with the Android Oreo update. But first, check which phones are compatible with Google's software.

Didn't find your phone? There's no reason to worry just yet as more manufacturers are approving their phones for updates day by day, including Essential, Huawei, Samsung, Motorola, LG, HDM Global (Nokia), Sony and others.

The list of supported devices will undoubtedly grow as time goes on, with the Google Pixel 2 launching on October 4th, for example.

Along with likely improvements to the Doze feature, which intelligently saves battery when the phone is idle, it's possible that Android Oreo could squeeze a few more hours out of your phone.

Contextual click options

Tried to copy an address in an email so you can paste it into Google Maps? Not anymore, says Android 8.0 Oreo.

Using machine learning, the OS can now recognize which application best matches the character sequence you're working with. Another example: the ability to highlight a phone number or insert it into a dial.

Responsive Icons

As the name suggests, Google has introduced strict design guidelines that developers adhere to in order to create a consistent visual style across more apps.

Additionally, these new app icons will be animated based on user interaction and... did you see the animation demo? Look. Looks amazing.

It looks like Google hasn't released these awesome icons yet, but we hope and look forward to seeing them in the next Android 8 update.

Improved audio performance

The Android Oreo update now offers native support for LDAC, a Bluetooth-enabled audio codec.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the first Android smartphone to come pre-installed with Bluetooth 5, a technology that will increase the bandwidth and speed limit of the wireless channel for your content and thus improve the quality of audio content transmitted wirelessly between your smartphone and headphones.

And while many devices will follow suit, audio quality on Android will be even better thanks to support for Android 8.0 Oreo LDAC, Sony's high-resolution Bluetooth audio codec.

In the Developer Options we already see plenty of options to customize the audio bitrate, and we expect more progress to be made in the future. This may be especially important for those users who are planning to buy the best wireless headphones.

This is great news, especially since the Google Pixel 2 doesn't have a headphone jack.

Notification points

Notification Dots are new to the Android Oreo update.

Ancient users who have been using iOS and some third-party launchers for many years are familiar with the notification shortcut on app icons on the home screen as a built-in Android feature.

Unlike iOS, Android Oreo doesn't tell you how many pending alerts there are within a given app, but now you know where to look, which is good.

New emoji

Here are the new emojis forAndroid 8.

Google has finally replaced the common emoji style from older versions of Android and is now offering round emojis for Android Oreo.

There are also new emojis in the form of fairies, mermaids, giraffes, wizards and many others.

Easter eggs

An Android update wouldn't be complete without Easter eggs. Oddly enough, Oreo also comes with a mini-game that continues the idea of ​​Android Nougat.

But on Oreo, clicking and holding the OS logo takes you to a mysterious blank screen with only an octopus on it. This mini-game is quite simple and not much of a game.

You can drag the octopus around the screen and watch its tentacles float all over the place. That's all. This game appeared online before we even knew about Android 8's sweet new name.

Other functionsAndroidOreo

Google is pushing a number of features with the Android Oreo update that we've already seen, but that means we'll likely see more from each feature in the future.

Android Instant Apps - the way you can use apps without installing them, use your web browser instead - is getting a boost with Android 8, so expect to see more developer support soon.

Google is also including an auto-fill option in Android 8, so you'll be able to sign into some of your favorite apps faster.

There are new accessibility options, including simple audio controls and quick access from the navigation bar for functions such as zooming in or highlighting for dialogue.

Plus there are even more features like new downloadable fonts, background location restriction, parcel alert, new Wi-Fi assistant feature, a support window called Tooltips and notification categories so you can have more control over what you see .

We'll be adding new features to this section as Google demonstrates them and as new smartphones are released that are ready for the Android 8.0 Oreo update.

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Yesterday, August 21, on the day of the total solar eclipse, Google introduced Android 8.0 Oreo - the annual major update to its mobile OS. The expectations of fans and leaks were confirmed - the search giant actually named the new version of the green robot after the popular chocolate chip cookie.

Now it's time to deal with the main issues related to. Why Google chose this name, what are the main innovations in the update, and also when the “superhero miracle” will arrive on devices from popular manufacturers. We answer all these questions in our new article.

Why Oreo

In 2017, Google took the issue of naming the new version of the Android operating system most seriously. Moreover, the company managed to greatly mislead users and fans. As a result - almost 10 different names for Android 8.0, only one of which was correct. Well, the game has begun.

Even though Oreo cookies were the most popular option for Android 8.0, no one could believe it until the last moment. Developer Preview builds featured a completely different Android O logo, depicted as something round and flaky in orange and yellow tones.

In addition to this, the Easter egg in Android 8.0 appeared for users in the form of an octopus - Google has not previously dealt with such confusion. The “cherry on the cake” was the teaser for the release of Android Oreo on social networks, which the company changed more than once, jumping from a hint to Oreo - the most obvious and correct name.

In fact, Google made it clear that it had chosen the name for Android 8.0 three years ago. If we recall the release of Android 5.0 Lollipop, then even then the search giant announced the use of the Oreo brand for one of the next versions of the OS. “Maybe next, next, next time, Oreo” can only be interpreted as “Lollipop, Marshmallow, Nougat - Oreo.”

The secret was not a secret. The name Android 8.0 was right there on the surface. But Google, as always, really trolled everyone.

What innovations are there in Android 8.0 Oreo

At first glance, it seems that the innovations in Android 8.0 Oreo are quite minor. This is mostly true, but the features that appeared in this release greatly simplify the daily use of the operating system. Many features that have long appeared in custom firmware are now available in the pure version of Android.

Most of the innovations are hidden under the hood. The most important new features of Android 8.0 Oreo have been known for a long time. This is what the list looks like:

• Picture in Picture. Reduce the size of the video you're watching or your current video call to a small window so you can continue working with other apps without interruption.
• Channels and notification points. Thematic sorting of application notifications is now available in the Notification Center. You can also hold your finger on an app icon to quickly view its latest notifications.
• Autofill data. With the autofill feature in Android 8.0 Oreo, you no longer have to enter your username and password into apps. Now this is done automatically.
• New Emojis. Android 8.0 Oreo features completely redesigned Emoji (no longer teardrops), including 60 completely new Emoji 5.0 emoticons.
• Responsive Icons. Now you can customize how icons will look in Android 8.0 Oreo. You can make them round, square or rounded.
• Improvements under the hood. Android 8.0 Oreo and applications for this version of the OS launch twice as fast. The update also brings more efficient power consumption and an improved system of restrictions for applications in the background.

When should I expect Android 8.0 Oreo on my smartphone?

The Android 8.0 Oreo update is currently rolling out to Google devices participating in the operating system's beta testing program. Users of Developer Preview builds receive the final version of Android 8.0 Oreo as an OTA update. Source firmware images for supported Google devices can also be downloaded from the official Android website for developers.