Android 8.0 Oreo: what’s new?

Every year, a new version of the Android operating system will be released. Again, the version (8.0 or O) is linked to food. This time Oreo, the cookie. The annual update is needed to respond to new technological developments, new features, error correction and, of course, graphic wishes. 

Picture-in-picture

As expected, Android Oreo incorporates a picture-in-picture mode , as on Android TV and iOS. The videos you watch appear in a small window, allowing you to continue watching your video while using other features of your device.

Multi-window (Developer Preview only)

This item finally did not see the light in the final version of Android 8.0 Oreo.

Google is preparing ”  multi-display support for launching an activity on a remote display “. Basically, Android O would have a “PC” mode in the image of Continuum on Windows Mobile 10. A feature that would make it easier to enjoy big screens of tablets, monitors and TV, allowing to resize the apps encapsulated in windows, like what already allows Linux, Windows or Mac OS. This mode could be activated remotely, so it would be enough to connect a screen to its smartphone to activate it.

This feature resembles the multi-window mode that was already enabled in Android N Developer Preview , but was not present in the final version of Nougat.

Multi-task management and quick start

Android Oreo adopts a multi-task management closer to the operation of iOS. This is a topic we discussed in our file . Starting from Android 7.0, Android could already restrict certain activities of an application in the background. Android Oreo continues in this direction: it allows to better manage the priority of the resources of the apps in the background , which will necessarily have an impact on the saving of energy and thus the improvement of the autonomy of the battery of your Android.

Android Oreo thus imposes new limits on developers, who will have to notify the system to access basic services: location, sending of a signal and so on.

Finally, Google says that the system starts, on a Pixel, is twice as fast as with Nougat.

Manage Notifications

Android 7.0 Nougat has introduced many novelties in the management of notifications, Android Oreo continues in this direction. Indeed, Android Oreo makes it easier to group notifications, by type of notifications . Notifications are always managed by the application that delivers them, but users can better control how things are displayed.

It is also possible to postpone a notification later, as in Inbox . The notification then disappears for a given time and only reappears later.

Notification Dots also make it easy to identify applications with a pending notification on the phone’s home screen. By pressing it, a window opens with the notifications in question, that it is possible to “swiper”.

Self-completion APIs

It is an API that seems specifically designed for password managers, and all applications that store personal information. Google facilitates the life of these tools by setting up a complete  API Autofill API . Specifically, an application such as Dashlane (or its competitors) will be able to more easily fill out your forms (logins, bank cards, addresses) in native applications and web pages. For Google, this is a more convenient, integrated and secure way to allow self-completion tools (auto- fill) to run on Android.

Managing fonts

Android Oreo makes it easy to access custom fonts in applications. The applications will be able to access customized font sets, which also includes emojis. The write font is specified directly in the application’s XML file.

Adaptive Icons

The application icons will be richer:  Android Oreo introduces adaptive icons , which can display a variety of shapes on different devices. For example, a launcher icon can display a circular shape on a specific smartphone and display a square on another device. It is the constructors who provide a mask in their themes, which the system then uses to transform all the icons with the same shape. You can find more details on the official dedicated page .

Wider color palette

Android Oreo improves color management with support for several profiles: AdobeRGB, Pro Photo RGB, and DCI-P3. The big difference between these color spaces is their gamut. That is to say the set of colors that they are capable – potentially – of reproducing while retaining nuances. These are essential tools for creative applications, especially for manipulating RAW files, for example.

High Definition Audio and Connectivity

Google has integrated a number of connectivity technologies: among others, high-quality Bluetooth audio through the Sony LDAC codec ,  with data transmission three times higher than on standard Bluetooth, offers a wireless audio experience improved.

NAN (Neighborhood Aware Networking) , on the other hand, allows two (compatible) devices to communicate with each other.

Improved WebViews and Java 8 APIs

Android Oreo also enhances functionality related to the WebView, the WebView component for displaying Web content. This rendering engine has been revised and articulated on Chrome since Android 7.0 Nougat . In other words, developers who decide to display web pages within their application, for example, go through Chrome. In Android Oreo, connections will be more secure, and Google ensures more stability.

Farewell Blob, emojis change head

The iconic emob blob of Android gets its reverence and gives way to faces more round, more traditional. Some like, others do not.

Faster updates

Android O is ” the biggest change to the foundation of Android so far ” and now integrates the Project Treble . This is to review the architecture of the OS in order to make it more modular for builders and thus facilitate their task when developing their updates. They will no longer have any excuse for not quickly updating our smartphones and tablets.

More security with Play Protect

One of Oreo’s slogans is security. With Google Play Protect and better management of permissions for installing APK from unknown sources, Google intends to reduce the number of malware present on Android and their possibilities. Risk 0 still does not exist, of course, but this should limit silent threats.