Category: Android Oreo

The Microsoft OneDrive app for Android has a new update rolling out that those who are running Android Oreo will appreciate.  The update, version 5.2 for those keeping score at home, brings improve support for the latest version of Android including support for Notification Channels.

For those who aren’t familiar with Notification Channels, it allows you to set the priority of notifications for apps that support it so that you are constantly alerted to anything related to the app or, the opposite, no notifications at all.  The team over at Android Central put together a great primer on Notification Channels in Oreo that I highly recommend reading.

OnePlus has released an update to the OxygenOS platform that brings Android Oreo to the OnePlus 5.  The update comes a little earlier than expected as the company had indicated the update would be in early 2018.  But, after months of testing in their beta channel, it appears the company is ahead of schedule and has released a little early.

The actual roll out of the update to the OnePlus 5 began yesterday but, as OnePlus typically does, it went to only a small percentage of customers yesterday and will gradually expand out to the entire customer base over the course of the next few days.  The update is 1.5GB in size so you will want to make sure you download it via WiFi and install it with at least 80% of your battery remaining unless you are connected to AC.

The change log on this update is massive and brings Oreo, the December Android Security Update and multiple other new features or improvements to the phone.

Verizon has become the first US carrier to update the Moto Z2 Force to Android Oreo.  The carrier has released build ODX27.109-34 for the Z2 Force, bringing Oreo and all of its goodness to the July 2017 flagship device from Moto.

As you would expect, the update is sizable at around 900MB, making it one that you will want to download while you are WiFi and have at least 80% battery life.  Installation should take 10-15 minutes and a reboot is required.

For readers who are in the Essential Phone beta program, you have a new second beta for Android Oreo rolling out to you today.  The new build is version OPM1.170911.213 for those keeping score and brings a handful of new features as well as a significant number of bug fixes from the first beta.  The new build is 142MB in size so it is advisable to download it via WiFi.

As for new features, this new build brings some of the standard Oreo features to the PH-1.  These include:

• Smart text selection
• Instant apps
• Picture-in-picture

Also, sign-in to apps has been improve as has the overall startup time of the Essential Phone.  All of these are positive steps in the evolution of Essential’s Oreo build as it brings more of the standard features of Oreo to the device.

Good news this morning for those of you who have the HTC U11 Life on T-Mobile – Today is Android Oreo day for you.

HTC took to Twitter yesterday to announced that starting today, U11 Life owners on T-Mobile will start getting the hefty update pushed to them to move them from Nougat 7.1 to Oreo 8.0.

The Android 8.0 Oreo update is now available for T-Mobile editions of the HTC U11 life. It’s a big update, so you must be on WiFi before attempting to download. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/FMd1CO28pJ

— HTC USA (@HTCUSA) December 18, 2017

HTC has, to their credit, been open about which devices would see the Oreo update and they had committed to having the update out for the U11 Life before the end of 2017.

Good news for those of you who have the ZTE Axon 7 phone.  The company has taken to their support forums to let users know that the Android Oreo update for the device is “just around the corner”.

William Guo of ZTE posted in the company’s support forums for the 5.5″ phone that the Oreo update is now in development and that they are working on perfecting it before releasing it.

We are announcing  now that we are already developing android 8 for the Axon 7, your positive feedback has been inspiring us a lot and made us very happy and because of this we try to get it customer ready as soon as  possible for the best customers in the world, and I ask for your understanding because we still need some time to perfect it.

With no definite timeline given, it could still be several months before Axon 7 owners see the update – but at least you know it is coming at some point.