Android 8.0 Oreo. Things we need to know.

The new update for android is here with more features than ever. Every android updates came with new features, but this version is actually going to bring a lot of changes to the user experience with its new features. What Google promises is a much faster, smoother user experience containing many improvements, tweaks and optimisations. At first look, Android 8.0 doesn’t make a huge difference from Android 7.0, but considering the changes and improvements included, Oreo is going to make android users happier.

8.0 come with improved battery life for device, improved security, 2x times faster using, password auto fill, app updates and much more. It will be available on every major Android smartphone released over the next year. It will be entirely up to third party handset manufacturer. There’s a lot you should check. The major devices like Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Plus, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will receive Oreo eventually. LG G6 and G5, OnePlus 5, OnePlus 3 and 3T, HTC U11 and U11 Ultra, Motorola’s X, Z and G lines will also be getting Oreo. This ranges from Asus’s Zenfone series to Chinese handset manufacturers like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Huawei. Shortly almost all devices to be released next year will be carrying an 8.0 OS.

Let's take a closer look.

2x Faster

The first thing to note about Oreo is that it's faster.  Most recent user reviews say that Boot times on Google Pixel went from almost one minute to almost 20 seconds and apps are noticeably faster. Improved cache management plays a main role in improved speed. It automatically delete cached data from apps when performance is about to be slow. In all previous versions, we did it manually. Apps and reboots are faster with android Oreo. Rescue Party will help prevent boot loops, which is one of the most noticed mobile phone issues.

Battery Life

Apps running in background have been the main reason for the poor battery life that android users face. The devices with 8.0 Oreo will minimise background activity in the less frequently used apps, persistent apps are listed in the notification bar. Screen Usage is shown right up top, along with time since your full charge, most battery draining apps are also showed. Broadcast limitations are another reason for improved battery life. Apps in background can’t react to broadcasts which don’t target them. Most recent user reviews suggest that there is a huge difference in battery life on Pixel XL. Then Oreo devices has a smarter Wi-Fi feature. This saves you some battery life and keeps you from turning on and off the Wi-Fi every time.

Auto fill APIs

This feature will save some time for the users. Android Oreo will allow you to manage all your passwords at one place. This feature will allow you to sign into accounts using the data you stored in your Google account. If you have signed in to twitter from chrome and saved your password, then Google will help you to automatically log in from twitter app using those saved credentials. You don’t need to fill your username and password again.

Notification Dots and Channels

Notification dots are almost like the feature which was introduced in Apple’s iOS. When you have a notification, you will see a coloured dot at the top of the app icon (number of notifications was shown instead of dots in older android versions). If you long press it, you can see the preview of the notification.

Google also introduces ‘Notification Channels’ in Oreo. They are new categories for notifications. Notifications are grouped into channels. Google says “users can block or change the behaviour of each channel individually, rather than managing all of the apps.” By making it easier to manage different types of notifications from the same app, Google gives users better control over their app notifications. You can even choose how you must be alerted for each type of notifications. You can snooze each channel for 15 minutes, 30 minutes or hours as you wish.

Picture in Picture

We can say it is an advanced multitasking feature. This feature allows users to watch videos in the same screen while doing other things in other apps. After closing the app with home button, this feature shows video in a pop-out window. You can move this window around the screen and push it to the bottom to close it. Apps like YouTube, Netflix, Duo, Maps and more supports this feature. Currently this feature works in certain devices only.  It works better in devices with bigger screens like tablets and Android TV's.

Oreo bring more visual customisations giving users freedom to pick icon shapes that they prefer. It supports different icon shapes. It also brought change to the settings page for better navigation.  This means better grouping to categories making everything more visible.

Oreo introduced a smarter Wi-Fi such that devices can automatically turn on Wi-Fi when they are in the vicinity of a trusted network. There is no need of constantly turning on and off the Wi-Fi, the device do it for you. Oreo has real-time security scanners for Play store app safety.  It also brought upgrades to camera. Double tapping while running camera will give you a 50% digital zoom.

A new set of emojis are introduced in the version. Bluetooth audio connections are improved. It promises higher quality Bluetooth connections with better sound quality.

Thank you for reading this article..
Subscribe and stay tuned for more..