Oliver Haslam·

Android 8.0 Oreo Name Is Official, Final OTA Update And Factory Images Now Available

You can now download Android 8.0 Oreo final OTA update and factory system image files for Pixel and Nexus devices after Google finalized the name today and started rolling out the final version for select devices. Here are the details.

Google has today announced Android 8.0 Oreo officially, following on from the fourth developer preview which was made available in June. Whereas such an announcement would normally coincide with new Nexus and Pixel device announcements, Google has released the Oreo update ahead of its annual hardware refresh cycle. What this means is that Android 8.0 Oreo has been seeded to third-party Android phone makers via the AOSP program, as well as available to currently supported select Pixel and Nexus devices.

Oreo brings a host of new and updated features for both users and developers alike, with additional APIs giving the latter new ways to take advantage of the Android operating system. For users, the biggest changes include an updated notifications system which makes it easier to manage what apps are shouting about. One of those is a new Snooze feature which is available via a swipe within the notification shade. This will allow notifications to reappear at a later time, getting them out of your way when you don’t need them.

Other changes include an alteration to the way Quick Settings are displayed – they’re now white so they blend in with notifications better – as well as a redesigned Settings app which is sure to confuse all of us, at least at first.

While we are now in something of a holding pattern while we wait for Google to get this software onto its devices and third-party manufacturers to skin it to within an inch of its life, those with Nexus and Pixel devices can get their hands on Android 8.0 Oreo right now if they are willing to jump through the hops required of them. Google has made factory system images available for the Pixel phones, the Nexus 6P and 5X, the Nexus Player and the Pixel C.

If you are part of the developer preview however, you should be receiving the update via the traditional OTA method soon enough as Google has already started rolling out the update as OTA in some markets.

Factory images of Android 8.0 Oreo can be downloaded from here:

– Nexus 5X
– Nexus 6P
– Nexus Player
– Pixel C
– Pixel (Telstra, Rogers, T-Mobile, Sprint, USCC, Project Fi)
– Pixel (all other networks)
– Pixel XL (Telstra, Rogers, T-Mobile, Sprint, USCC, Project Fi)
– Pixel XL (all other networks)

You may also like to check out:

You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the Web.