18541 Android 8.0 Oreo — a detailed review of the new OS

Android 8.0 Oreo — a detailed review of the new OS



Smartphones from Google started to get a massive upgrade of the operating system — Android 8.0 Oreo. Unlike the previous release of the OS, “cookie” not a lot of visible changes: the “inside”. Many of the innovations aimed at improving the safety and imperceptible to the average user. Try to figure out whether you need to rush to update the system on your smartphone.

Visible innovations

All in all the changes of the interface eighth version look like to logically complete the work started in the seventh: nothing drastic, but a lot of cosmetic work.

For example, panel Play Music now changes its background and text color depending on the colors of the album cover.

Android 8.0 Oreo

Irrelevant alerts (e.g., weather) are compressed into a narrow strip, when the blind have other notifications.

The color of the blinds. Extending from the top panel was light, and the number of rows of switches is regulated automatically depending on the screen size of the smartphone, Nexus 5X instead of three rows of two.

Android 8.0 Oreo Android 8.0 Oreo

The first noticeable change: the color of the dice of player and narrow the notification about the weather and the number of switches in the shutter varies

The timer notifications. To settings notifications available to the user directly in the curtain, added a useful option: they will be able to remove from the eye at a certain time. There are four options — to postpone for 15 minutes, an hour, two or three.

The category of alerts. Now alert application can be divided into several types. To access them succeed, sliding a notification pointing to the gear icon (or long tap on the notification). You can quickly see how many categories of notifications have apps, and go to their settings (to show those programs that have not yet managed to “light up” in the blind, go to “Settings → Applications and notifications → app Permissions → Notifications → Notifications”). YouTube, for example, two categories of notifications: General (General Notification) and Notifications “on the conservation video”. And the “native” client for Gmail, you can enable or disable alert emails with attached files.

Android 8.0 Oreo

Thus, the access notification settings, different applications can be accessed using the menu system. Google’s approach is clear: disable unnecessary “whistles” in several different programs will work without running them. But this leads to strange loops in the interface. So, in the notification settings Gmail offers to open the app to change additional settings, which in turn is the reverse of “forward” to the system tool.

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Android 8.0 OreoThe Gmail client two categories of alerts: “Miscellaneous” and “attachments”

Notifications on the icons. Continuing on the topic of notifications, it should be noted that “pure” Android finally got that firmware from the vendors know how many years ago. We are talking about notifications on the app icons. By default, the notification appears as a small blue dot on the icon (Notification Dots), but the software developers can change them. For example, on the messenger icon may display a counter of unread messages. In addition, they are easier to add widget: long tap on the icon will open the menu which will be available to all widgets of a specific program.

Android 8.0 Oreo

However there is one big “if”: it is only available for smartphones Pixel, where the Pixel launcher installed Launcher. Of course, you can take a chance and install it from the APK file, but as it is advisable to load a program from an unknown source for the blue dots icons — you decide.

The new settings menu. Cosmetic “repairs” occurred in the system settings. The root menu has reorganized and reduced the number of points — from 26 to 13! It also allowed me to get rid of extra sidebar.

set

“Picture in picture”. At this stage in this mode can work a small number of apps, such as YouTube, messenger Duo and VLC player. With such programs, the user will work with the operating system without interrupting viewing of the video. Something similar is implemented in the client for YouTube: you can, not stopping to look video, to find new videos.

Android 8.0 OreoTo activate the mode “window to window” in VLC player there is a special button

“Smart” text selection. Another innovation in the interface of the operating system associated with the text, or context menu: it changes depending on what text is highlighted. For example, if you highlight the address, then it is possible to immediately open Google Maps and when you highlight a phone number will call the person without having to copy the number in the “phone”.

Android 8.0 Oreo

New Emoji. And finally, as for what you really need to download an update — the normal round of emojis, among which 60 are new.

Android 8.0 Oreo

Security

Most of the internal changes invisible to the user, and some innovations altogether are not. For example, “Google Play Protection” — only indicator has long been available in Android protective mechanism Verify Apps. Really new — something that developers have with Android 8 access part of the API of this tool and can create software that, for example, is not installed on the device, if the Verify Apps will report on security issues.

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Android 8.0 Oreo

Another significant change concerned the installation of third party software. Used to permit the installation of applications not from Google Play “issued” with one switch in the system settings, and now I have to solve this each process that wants to start the installation. Start the installation from a browser — the browser trying to open the APK file Manager — file Manager.

Now each program can “pull the plug” during its work in the background. The system itself monitors what is running “in the background”, and draws the user’s attention to processes that are just too broke. Interestingly, during the test Oreo repeatedly found in the background of the WhatsApp messenger and displayed the notification fades in a couple seconds.

In addition, there is the possibility of password protection of access options “for developers” and greater protection from covert obtaining rights applications. Also the system WebView component isolated in a separate process, and learn information about the device and system accounts without the knowledge (and permissions) of the user became impossible.

Android 8.0 Oreo

Protection from “ballup”

Last year during the upgrade devices to Android 7, some users faced with the problem of cyclic restart, which “fell” to their gadgets. Then it was decided a trip to the service center. Now Google has included in the firmware the function of the Rescue Party: it controls the boot process, and if the system crashes several times in a row, loads the OS in safe mode.

Project Treble: quick updates

All of the above significantly increases the security level, but only in the context of a specific operating system version. On the security of the Android OS in General, it is virtually no impact: the lion’s share of devices will never get the latest updates of the operating system, and to others it comes too late. For example, currently dominates the market version of Android is version 6.0 (Marshmallow), on the second place — “Lollipop” (5.x), and more relevant, “seven” is only the third.

Android 8.0 Oreo

Over time, the situation should improve thanks to the implementation of Project Treble. If simplified, in the framework of the project “inside” system was reworked, and many components of the OS are now in their own “sandbox”. In addition, the Treble is designed to solve problems with the updates. If you do not go into the details, we can say that the new modular architecture will allow to update the OS without having to remake it “customized” part of the firmware vendor. However, Project Treble yet maintain only a few gadgets that will receive updates to Oreo.

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Android 8.0 Oreo

Android 8.0 Oreo

The modularity of the Project Treble: key modules and drivers can be updated separately from the rest of the system

Performance

With the new firmware, the developers promised to increase performance and loading speed increased. Regarding the second ratio, it has improved by almost half: a previous version of Android loaded 48 seconds new it takes only 25. But changes in performance are almost there: AnTuTu Nexus 5x scored 64 775 parrots — about the same as showing the same smartphone running Android 7. Test battery life PCMark showed a five and a half hours to complete discharge.

Android 8.0 Oreo Android 8.0 Oreo

What’s in the Easter eggs?

Another Easter eggs Android this time is quite simple and represents an octopus (probably due to the fact that the number of feet of mollusk coincide with the OS version number), which you can drag around the screen. To reach it, you must go to Settings → System → About phone and repeatedly tap on “Android Version”. You then need to make a few more taps on the center of the circle and right after that hold your finger.

Android 8.0 Oreo

The results

As we said in the beginning of the article, the current update is not so many visual changes, like the past. Right now the interface is rather modified. Interesting is that the function of “picture in picture”. But this feature must first be supported by software, and yet not so many applications using it. Changes in the security system and the system as a whole is much more important, but for the average user they are just as invisible as before. Moreover, given the situation on the market to any noticeable results, they will not immediately. Although, of course, users can amuse themselves with the thought that their smartphone has become a little safer.

The author of the text: Paul Quiet

Source: 4pda.ru

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