Google announced the news at a solar eclipse-themed Android event in New York City. Nicknamed Oreo, Android 8.0 is smarter, faster, and more powerful than ever. This is not Android’s first brand tie-up. Google previously teamed up with Nestle to nickname Android 4.4 KitKat after the chocolatey candy bars.
Android O is packed with new features, including picture-in-picture display so you can use two apps at once, notification dots that you can tap to see what’s new in your apps, Chrome autofill across apps so you don’t have to remember your logins if you don’t want to, and better battery life through background process and memory management changes. Google said the new mobile operating system powers up twice as fast (on Pixel devices, at least), and helps extend battery life by minimizing background activity in the apps you don’t use often.
The new OS also includes support for Android Instant Apps, which will let you “teleport directly into new apps right from your browser, no installation needed,” Google wrote in a blog post. Oreo will also include more than 60 new emoji, including a t-rex, wizard, fairy, and mind blown smiley.
Eager for a taste of Oreo? The new mobile OS is available now via Google’s Android Open Source Project.
“Pixel and Nexus 5X/6P builds have entered carrier testing, and we expect to start rolling out in phases soon, alongside Pixel C and Nexus Player,” the Web giant wrote. “We’ve also been working closely with our partners, and by the end of this year, hardware makers including Essential, General Mobile, HMD Global Home of Nokia Phones, Huawei, HTC, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp and Sony are scheduled to launch or upgrade devices to Android 8.0 Oreo.”
Plus, handsets enrolled in the Android Beta Program will also receive this final version. For more on Android Oreo, head here.