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Published: August 19, 2017 | Source: Android.com | Author: Mark Campbell

Android O is set to release on August 21st

Android O is set to release on August 21st

Android O is set to release on August 21st

 
Google has revealed that Android O, version 8.0, will be revealed at 2:40 PM ET, coinciding with tomorrow’s Solar Eclipse in the US.
 
At this event, Google is expected to reveal what the O in android O stands for (Oreo?) and will likely start pushing out OTA updates for some of their existing Android devices. 
 
This new iteration of android is said to offer faster boot times, a brand new settings app, several security enhancements and “Google Play Protect”. This update will also be the first Android version to support Google’s Project Treble, which will make the process of updating hardware for future Android iterations easier. 
 
Traditionally, there are 3 major steps when issuing a new version of Android to an OEM device, which includes steps for Silicon manufacturers and device makers, with Google planning to decrease the number of steps thanks to Project Treble. 

 

  1. 1. Silicon manufacturers (Qualcomm, Samsung Exynos, etc) “modify the new release for their specific hardware” and do things like making sure drivers and power management will still work.
  2. 2. OEMs (Samsung, LG, HTC) step in and “modify the new release again as needed for their devices.” This means making sure all the hardware works, rebranding Android with a custom skin, adding OEM apps, and modifying core parts of the Android OS to add special features like (before 7.0) multi-window support.
  3. 3. Carriers add more apps, more branding, and “test and certify the new release.”

 

Project Treble is designed to eliminate Step 1 from this equation, separating the OS framework from vendor specific hardware code, which means that devices can be updated to a new version of Android without the involvement of a Silicon vendor, though OEM modifications are still required. 

Silicon vendors will now be required to pass a “Vendor Test suite” (VTS) that will allow vendors to ensure compatibility with future android implementations. Google says that VTS compliant vendors will be able to deliver new android releases to consumers by updating the OS framework, without implementing any changes to their vendor interface. 

  

Android O is set to release on August 21st

 

Future “Treble enabled” devices will push the blame of slow OS updates directly to OEMs, which should hopefully deliver enough consumer pressure for vendors to offer better support for their devices. Soon we will be finding out which vendors care about creating updates and which care more about making excuses. 

 

Are any of you excited to see ANdroid 8.0? You can join the discussion on Google’s latest Android iteration on the OC3D Forums.

  

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