Officially Android 8.0 is here, Android Oreo released on Monday, August 21st during the solar eclipse. OTA (over-the-air) updates are start rolling out on Nexus and Pixel devices and factory images were posted on the Android Developers' site the same day.
This new version has plenty of changes in store, ranging from revamped looks to under-the-hood improvements, so there's tons of cool new stuff to explore. Let's go ahead and take a look at all of the new features and functionality in Android O.
This new version has plenty of changes in store, ranging from revamped looks to under-the-hood improvements, so there's tons of cool new stuff to explore. Let's go ahead and take a look at all of the new features and functionality in Android O.
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| PIP |
Picture-in-Picture mode - Android 8.0 allows activities to launch in picture-in-picture (PIP) mode. A familiar phrase and tool in many televisions, within the YouTube app. Now you can play video and navigate other apps on your device by just tap the Home button and the video will pop into a small window that can remain on screen. You can slide the video around for best placement, then simply slide it off the screen to terminate.
Notification Channels - Android N brought a new framework for notifications to get more information in a space. With Android O, Google introduced new Notification channels for grouping notifications together by their type. Notifications are still managed by the app that delivers them, but users can control how things are displayed on a per-channel basis.
Notification Channels - Android N brought a new framework for notifications to get more information in a space. With Android O, Google introduced new Notification channels for grouping notifications together by their type. Notifications are still managed by the app that delivers them, but users can control how things are displayed on a per-channel basis.
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| Icons |
Adaptive icons - The Google Pixel Launcher brought adaptive icons, and now Android supports them systemwide and natively. There have options for different shaped masks that define the outside border and icons can be animated. Adaptive icons will be supported in the launcher, shortcuts, device Settings, sharing dialogs, and the app overview screen.
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| Notification Dots |
Adaptive notification dots - New icons support badges for new content - called Notification Dots. The dots appear in various colors drawn from the app icon they relate to. Google also adds things like a preview pane from the home screen you can access from the icon shortcut as well as app-exclusive shortcuts, such as replying to a message.
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| External Sources |
No More 'Unknown Sources' Setting - To install app from downloaded .apk file, you need to enable "Unknown Sources" option in settings on previous Android versions. With Android 8.0, this setting is entirely gone, and now, you'll need to trust individual apps before you can install APKs they've downloaded. Like; when you download an .apk through the Chrome browser, first you need to review the "External Sources" settings. Then, just pick Chrome from the list, then make sure the "Trust apps from this source" option is enabled. Once you've done that, you'll be able to install the .apk.
Package Installer Progress Bar - Package Installer has received a makeover in Android Oreo, featuring a slightly refined the look of progress bar. There's also a new Cancel button at the bottom-right, which allows you to stop an installation as long as the progress isn't too close to the end of the bar.
Autofill framework - Autofill support means better security and a powerful way for an application to store repetitive information. With the new Autofill framework, user will be able to choose a source for autofill data, and applications that need to store and retrieve this sort of data no longer will need to act as an Accessibility service. You can choose it when we need it much like choosing a new keyboard. An app could also be built that acts as a global storage for autofill data without being associated with any one particular program.
More granular storage controls - When your phone's storage is starting to fill up, you'll find that it's a lot easier to clear away non-essential files and cached data in Android 8.0. There are specific categories for things like "Games" and "Movie & TV Apps." When you select one of these categories, you'll see all of the apps of that type that are using up your storage space. From there, it's pretty easy to clear away cache and junk files
Battery-Saving background restrictions - Android O may finally fix issues with standby battery drain. Doze Mode helped quite a bit in this regard when it was introduced with Marshmallow, then improved upon with Nougat. But now, Google's tightening the reins on actions that apps can perform in the background.
Smart text selection - The text selection menu in Android Oreo has also been updated. It now includes intelligent actions that can vary depending on the type of text you've selected. Select a URL, and it will suggest opening it in Chrome. Select a phone number, and the Dialer app will appear. An address, and Maps will pop-in, and so on.
Package Installer Progress Bar - Package Installer has received a makeover in Android Oreo, featuring a slightly refined the look of progress bar. There's also a new Cancel button at the bottom-right, which allows you to stop an installation as long as the progress isn't too close to the end of the bar.
Autofill framework - Autofill support means better security and a powerful way for an application to store repetitive information. With the new Autofill framework, user will be able to choose a source for autofill data, and applications that need to store and retrieve this sort of data no longer will need to act as an Accessibility service. You can choose it when we need it much like choosing a new keyboard. An app could also be built that acts as a global storage for autofill data without being associated with any one particular program.
More granular storage controls - When your phone's storage is starting to fill up, you'll find that it's a lot easier to clear away non-essential files and cached data in Android 8.0. There are specific categories for things like "Games" and "Movie & TV Apps." When you select one of these categories, you'll see all of the apps of that type that are using up your storage space. From there, it's pretty easy to clear away cache and junk files
Battery-Saving background restrictions - Android O may finally fix issues with standby battery drain. Doze Mode helped quite a bit in this regard when it was introduced with Marshmallow, then improved upon with Nougat. But now, Google's tightening the reins on actions that apps can perform in the background.
Smart text selection - The text selection menu in Android Oreo has also been updated. It now includes intelligent actions that can vary depending on the type of text you've selected. Select a URL, and it will suggest opening it in Chrome. Select a phone number, and the Dialer app will appear. An address, and Maps will pop-in, and so on.
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| New Emojis |
New Emojis - One major change that came in more recently is a set of revamped emojis. Google has finally ditched the blob-shaped smilies in favor of more traditional rounded ones, and most emojis now have a gradient applied to them.
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