Amid ongoing speculation about Samsung's plan to roll out Android 8.0 Oreo update to its devices, the company has just made an unexpected move in India.
On Thursday, the South Korean tech giant released an update to its mobile payment and digital wallet service Samsung Pay in India to help it support Android 8.0 Oreo, even though the latest version of Google's mobile operating system is yet to make its way to any of the company's smartphones.
The Samsung Pay update coincided with a new rumour claiming that Samsung was planning to start an Android 8.0 Oreo Beta Programme in the United States on October 31. This coincidence led SamMobile to speculate that the company might be planning a similar scheme in India at the same time.
As for the Oreo Beta Programme in the US, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ owners on either T-Mobile or Sprint will reportedly be able to sign up for the beta through the Samsung Members and Samsung+ apps.
@SamMobiles hey #SamsungPay is now compatible with #AndroidOreo. 104MB update in India. pic.twitter.com/3G1cvMYNS7
— Imaduddin Mohammed (@imaduddinmd9) October 26, 2017
The programme is also rumoured to offer 7,500 spots per device, and is also expected to bring all of the new features and improvements included in Android 8.0 Oreo.
While Samsung is yet to confirm the Galaxy S8 Oreo beta program, it's also unknown if the company is planning a similar programme for the recently launched Galaxy Note 8 as well.
US, Oct. 31, Galaxy S8 / S8 +, Android Oreo Beta! pic.twitter.com/kp4YDlCaeY
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) October 26, 2017
Reports surfaced earlier this week that Samsung is scheduled to roll out the Android 8.0 Oreo update for its devices sometime in the beginning of 2018. It was the company's Turkish subsidiary which reportedly shared the Oreo release time-frame, without further details about what smartphones, or tablets, will receive the update and when.
However, it is still safe to assume that the Galaxy Note 8 as well as the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will be among the first Samsung devices to receive the Oreo update.
When it comes to what's new in Android 8.0 Oreo, the most notable features include picture-in-picture video, notification channels, adaptive icons and circular emoji, among other performance and security improvements.
