While you may have been waiting for Nougat, Google is ready to start working on Android O. Probably to be named Android Oreo, the first Android O Developer Preview is now out. The update will bring some interesting changes to Android, including new notification channels, picture-in-picture mode, adaptive icons, and much more.
Relevant: Steps to install (and roll back) Android Oreo Developer Preview on Pixel / Nexus
You may not see any major facelift that was introduced a few years back with Lollipop, but developers would certainly find the features interesting. More user-focused features will likely be revealed later in the development cycle.
Currently, Android O is only available via factory images and won’t be available via the Android Beta Program. This means no OTA updates for the moment. Google does plan to offer Android O via the Beta Program ahead of Google I/O.
Major changes and features in Android O
- Background limits to save battery life
- Redesigned notifications: notification channels, snoozing, timeouts and notification dismissals
- Picture-in-Picture mode: already available with Android TV, PIP will now be introduced to more devices
- Adaptive launcher icons: support visual effects, and can display a variety of shapes across different device models
- Color management: Android developers of imaging apps can now take advantage of new devices that have a wide-gamut color capable display
- Wi-Fi aware
- Pinning shortcuts and widgets
- Accessibility features
- Multi-display support
Can't wait to try Oreo? The Android O factory images for Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, and Nexus Player are now live. Here are the direct download links, which you can use to flash factory images right on your Pixel or Nexus devices (instructions here):
About the author: Rafia joined Wccftech in 2012 as a tech reporter. She is currently working on stories focusing on people and technologies that are turning Microsoft into a “company to watch” again. She is also responsible for collaborating with tech makers and e-commerce platforms to bring annoying but tempting deals to our readers.
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