Skip to main content

Android 8.1 Oreo

See All Stories
Android Oreo

Android 8.1 now official for Pixel/Nexus with fixes, new features, & December security patch

Following last week’s release of the final developer preview, Android 8.1 is now officially available for current Pixel and Nexus devices. The latest version of Android brings some of the visual changes and features found on the Pixel 2 to the rest of Google’s lineup. Meanwhile, there are various bug fixes and changes for developers to take advantage of.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Google’s Pixel C tablet gets a little love in Android 8.1 preview with new launcher features from Pixel phones

Google Pixel C

Android just keeps getting better and better on phones, but Android tablets are very much neglected. There haven’t been any meaningful improvements to Android on tablets in years, but Google hasn’t totally forgotten them. In the latest Android 8.1 preview, the Pixel C tablet has gotten just a bit of attention.


Expand
Expanding
Close

How to enable the Pixel Visual Core’s HDR+ feature on Android 8.1

Shortly after the Pixel 2 was released, Google announced that its two new smartphones had a dedicated chip built-in that would be used to handle specialized processes like the camera app’s HDR+ image processing. Weirdly, though, Google didn’t turn on this Pixel Visual Core when it shipped its flagship devices. Now, with Android 8.1 Developer Preview 2, the Pixel Visual Core can be enabled. Here’s how…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Android 8.1 DP2 fixes audio issues while recording video on Google Pixel 2/XL

As most know, the Pixel 2 and especially the Pixel 2 XL have been plagued with bugs and issues since being released back in October. Thankfully, Google isn’t ignoring customer complaints and has been working on fixes. According to several people running the second Developer Preview of Android 8.1, it appears that Google has rolled out a patch that addresses a weird microphone bug that created audio distortion when capturing video…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Google didn’t alter Factory Reset Protection in Android 8.1, isolated bug w/ lock patterns

Following last week’s release of the Android 8.1 Developer Preview, new functionality is still being uncovered. Yesterday, one possible feature emerged, suggesting that Android was making a critical change to Factory Reset Protection. However, Google has confirmed to us that this is not the case and that a bug is to blame.


Expand
Expanding
Close

How to stop new apps from being added to your home screen on Android Oreo

Android has long had a feature that automatically added shortcuts to the home screen after they were downloaded from the Google Play Store. As this could get annoying, the feature could be disabled within the Play Store’s settings menu. With Oreo, though, Google moved this setting out of the store itself and placed it into one of the operating system’s menus. Here’s how to turn this automatic feature off…


Expand
Expanding
Close

How to disable Android Oreo’s persistent ‘using battery’ notification

When Google first rolled out Android Oreo, a persistent notification came with it that displayed all of the apps that were running in the background. With the release of the Android 8.1 Developer Preview, this notification has now been renamed to “using battery” and allows users to disable it from always showing (even on 8.0). Here’s how to do just that…


Expand
Expanding
Close

How to install the Android 8.1 Developer Preview onto your Pixel, Pixel 2, Pixel C, Nexus 5X or Nexus 6P

Google just announced the Developer Preview for Android 8.1 for a handful of Pixel and Nexus devices. This beta build can either be installed through the traditional flashing method or by OTA using the search giant’s Beta Program. Here’s how to install Android 8.1 using both methods…


Expand
Expanding
Close

How to enroll in the Android O Beta Program

At I/O 2017, Google announced that it would be rolling out the second Developer Preview build of Android O and along with it, the O Beta Program. Just like with Android Nougat’s Beta Program, you enroll in the program online and shortly after, Google will send an OTA update to your registered device. Here’s the how to enroll and unenroll in that program…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
Please wait...processing
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
Please wait...processing