The first public beta of Android 8.0 aka Android O is now available for download on compatible Nexus and Pixel devices, thanks to its release at Google's recent annual I/O conference. Device owners who want to get an early glimpse of the next major Android iteration can now install the Android O beta 1 firmware, after backing up their important data and settings on the device.
Before you proceed, it is imperative to check if your phone or tablet is compatible with Android O. Here is the full list of Android O aka Android 8.0 compatible devices:
- Google Pixel
- Google Pixel XL
- Google Pixel C
- Google Nexus 6P
- Google Nexus 5X
- Nexus Player
Google had announced its first developer preview version of Android O back in March with numerous feature improvements and now the latest release also falls into the category of maintenance or performance update. Consequently, you will get to see some minor feature upgrades, besides improved stability.
According to Google, the new Android O platform upgrade will bring Fluid Experiences and Vitals. On one hand, Fluid Experiences promises to introduce new features aimed at enhanced productivity for the user such as Notification Dots, Picture-in-Picture, Smart Text Selection and Autofill. On the other, Vitals will boost the battery backup time and also offer speed boosts to handsets with lower specifications while running Android O.
Here's how you can enrol into the Android O beta programme:
- Interested users may go ahead and register for the Android O beta programme if they have not done so.
- After enrolling into the beta programme, you will receive notifications updates for over-the-air (OTA) downloads for all public betas released by Google.
- To enrol into the beta program just head over to the URL: g.co/androidbeta. You will be prompted to login to your Google account.
- Just scroll down the page and you will see the list of Eligible Devices that are currently linked to your Google account. If you have an Android O compatible device, it will be listed in this page.
- Select the device you want to enrol for the Android O beta programme and hit the green 'Enroll device' button right next to it.
- Agree to the terms and conditions and then tap 'Join beta'.
- A message should pop up on your device screen confirming the enrolment and the status of receiving the OTA update for the public beta release. Just hit OK when prompted and you are all set.
In related news, Google has also rolled out the second developer preview version of Android O for the power-hungry users who want to make a clean installation by flashing the factory image file.
Similar to the Android O beta programme, the factory image files for Android O Developer Preview 2 are limited to select Nexus and Pixel devices as follows: Pixel, Pixel XL Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus Player and the Pixel C. Interested users may grab the factory image files here.
