Android 8.0, which is possibly going to be called Oatmeal Cookie, is a few months away from its official roll-out, expected with the launch of Pixel 2 smartphones.
However, that doesn’t mean everyone has to wait that long to try out the upcoming Android flavour, especially if you have a Nexus/Pixel phone.
We spent a couple of weeks with the Beta version of Android 8.0, which is not a lot different from Android Nougat, but Google has made some minute refinements making it more user-friendly. These are some new additions to Android in 2017.
Dot Notifications
iOS users get to see the number of notifications they have on Gmail, WhatsApp, Twitter and others. It’s taken a while, but with the Android 8.0, users will know which app of theirs is pinging on the notification centre.
This might not be very useful, but it counts for something.
Quick-View
Android users waiting to get their version of 3D Touch-like feature, rejoice. Android 8.0 has been bestowed with quick-view option, which lets you access features of the app (as seen above), without opening the app. You can even get notifications from the app with this mode.
Cosmetic changes to the Notification centre
Improved App permissions
Xiaomi has been lauded for enabling the user to choose what kind of permissions the app has. This works to good effect with respect to privacy, especially when apps are known to ask for more access than they actually need.
Android 8.0 will finally offer users control over apps that are running on their devices. For instance, if an app does not need access to GPS (for location), you can disable the option.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)