Google Pixel and Nexus owners get the first bite when it comes to Android Oreo whose many features and upgrades include better autofill, smart text selection, battery life, and performance.
Oreo's automatic cache removal has improved the speed of smartphone booting and application launching. Google also added "wise limits" for apps that run in the background, specifically in how they make use of location, so that the operating system (OS) drains smartphone batteries less when compared to their earlier counterparts.
The picture-in-picture feature (PiP) is one of the most notable updates with Oreo. The new OS allows users to multitask by minimizing one app's frame while another app is in use — similar to YouTube's tiny video player at the bottom of a user's screen when they're browsing in-app. While PiP has yet to be integrated with most third party apps, the feature can be used with Google Maps, Google Chrome, and YouTube.
Redesigned notifications make for better overall user experience. From bland solid colors to palettes that accommodate album art colors, users can more easily identify their streaming applications' display notification, as the colors stand out from the rest of the notifications in the panel.
Oreo users can now also snooze notifications for either 15 minutes, 30 minutes, one hour (the default), or two hours.
The autofill and text selection features of old operating systems have gone through an upgrade under Oreo as well. User devices now store information like log-in details and addresses that lets users easily and quickly fill up forms. Of course, Oreo asks users first whether they would like this information saved on the first time they're entered on the phone.
Smart text selection now suggests apps related to the text highlighted. If a user highlights a street address, for example, Oreo will suggest Google Maps, which can be launched immediately regardless of which app the user is using at the moment. The same applies to numbers (Google Contacts) and e-mail addresses (Google Mail).
Android Oreo is only available on Pixel and Nexus phones at the moment, pending an official announcement from Google when it will arrive at other Android smartphones.
