It’s about that time of the year — Google is putting the finishing touches on Android 8.0, and we should expect the final developer preview to roll out to devices sometime in mid-July (so, any day now). While the final version of Android O likely won’t land until sometime in August, we can expect Google to reveal the official Android O name sometime very soon. For reference, the name Android Nougat was revealed on June 30, 2016.

So what’s Android O going to be called? Most people seem to think it’ll be called Android Oreo, which actually wouldn’t be too farfetched for Google. Android 4.4 was called KitKat, after all, and through that partnership we saw Android-branded KitKat bars in stores all around the world. As much as I want the name Oreo for the next version of Android, I really don’t need another reason to buy Oreos at the grocery store.

See also:

How stable is the third Android O developer preview?

How stable is the third Android O developer preview?

2 weeks ago

Oatmeal Cookie is another obvious choice. Apparently Google is using this as an internal Android 8.0 codename, though internal codenames usually differ from public names. As a reminder, Android 4.4 was codenamed Key Lime Pie, Android L was Lemon Meringue Pie, and Android N was codenamed New York Cheesecake.

What do you think Android O will be called? My money’s on Oreo, though it really could be anything (the last thing I expected for Android N was Nougat). Cast your vote in the poll, and speak up in the comments if your option isn’t represented below.

OnePlus is now rolling out OxygenOS version 4.5.5 to the OnePlus 5. The new software, announced in the OnePlus forums, delivers several bug fixes — including solving a problem with the Wi-Fi icon always showing a weak signal — and some decent feature improvements.

OnePlus has reduced the amount of battery consumed when recording videos, provided clearer voice calling, and enhanced the Wi-Fi connectivity (though to what extent isn’t clear). Meanwhile, OnePlus has also reduced the vibration intensity when receiving calls, so it’s now a little gentler.

See also:

OnePlus 5 International Giveaway!

OnePlus 5 International Giveaway!

3 weeks ago

The OTA update comes in at 59 MB and will reach a small percentage of users today, with the rest in the coming days. Head to your Settings > System updates page to check if it’s currently available on your handset.

Previous coverage: Welcome to the OnePlus 5 Android update tracker page. This page covers all major software news for the OnePlus 5 will be updated regularly with new information.

Unlike our other Android update tracker pages, this article doesn’t contain specific carrier details because the OnePlus 5 is sold in the US unlocked. It also won’t include general security patches.

We recommend you bookmark this page so you can stay up to date with the very latest updates.

• Android 7.0 Nougat update tracker
• Android 8.0 update tracker

OnePlus 5 Android Nougat update

The OnePlus 5 arrived on June 27, 2017 running Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box. This is the latest version of Android currently available, so any updates coming before Android 8.0 (the upcoming Android software Google is currently working on) are likely to be relatively small.

The OnePlus 5 received its first update just ahead of its online availability on June 26 to OxygenOS version 4.5.2. This delivered various stability optimizations and bug fixes before its official release. Later, some key members of the OnePlus team took part in a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” thread where they confirmed that the OnePlus 3 and 3T would get Android O (Android 8.0) before the and of the year. This news also indicates that the OnePlus 5 — OnePlus’ latest flagship — will receive Android 8.0 before the end of 2017.

OnePlus 5 update US

US OnePlus 5 update:

• June 16, 2017, OnePlus rolls out the OxygenOS 4.5.2 update. The 36 MB OTA update fixes various bugs including an app installation issue and a problem with system updates. It also delivers Camera, Bluetooth, network and system optimizations.

Europe/Asia OnePlus 5 update:

• June 28, 2017, OnePlus delivers the OxygenOS 4.5.4 update to address an issue with 4G connectivity in the Netherlands.

If you’ve received an update we’ve missed, hit the comments below or Tip Us!

The Android 8.0 update – what many are calling Android Oreo – will bring the next major version of Android to our devices, likely beginning in August. It will arrive first to Google devices, namely the Pixel, Pixel XL and supported Nexus devices, and then to other Android phones made by the likes of Samsung, LG, and more.

How soon your phone will get the update depends on a variety of factors: your phone manufacturer’s update track record, how new (and expensive) your phone is, whether your phone is unlocked or carrier-branded, your region, and so on. But, given past performance, we can draw some fairly accurate predictions of when you can expect to get the Android O update on your phone.

What follows is broken down into Android OEMs, based on how fast they got both Nougat and Marshmallow out, so just jump to the relevant section to see when the first Android 8 update should hit that company’s devices.

• Everything new in Android O
• Android Nougat update tracker

Android O update schedule

Google Pixel/Nexus Android O update

• March 21: Android O developer preview 1 (alpha)
• May 17: Android O developer preview 2 (beta) – Android O beta program starts
• June 8: Android O developer preview 3 (beta) – final APIs and official SDK
• Mid-July: Android O developer preview 4 (final beta)
• August: Final Android 8.0 release

Google has not officially confirmed the final build of Android O will roll out in August, only that it is due in Q3. We expected it to arrive in late August, but Android Police editor David Ruddock has it on good authority that it could be out in the first two weeks of August instead. Either way, August is looking to be the month to keep an eye on for Android 8.0 – what this means for the announcement of the Google Pixel 2 is anyone’s guess.

Android 8.0 update: when will I get it?

For all non-Google devices, you’ll have to wait until well after the official launch of Android 8.0 to see Android O on your device – somewhere between three months and a year depending on your handset manufacturer and carrier.

We previously shared details of the fastest OEMs and carriers to update to Android Nougat and we’ve now taken a second, mid-rollout look at OEM update performance. Perhaps not too surprisingly, the podium finishes for the first update aren’t always backed up by update performance over time. Updating mid-range and budget devices is never a particularly appealing prospect for device manufacturers or carriers unfortunately.

As always, we encourage you to do a little homework when planning your next Android purchase, especially if rapid updates are important to you. Some manufacturer and carrier combinations are more responsive than others, and the upcoming Google Pixel 2 will be at the top of the pile for the next two years. With that said, here are our predictions on when your device is likely to get Android 8.0 based on historical performance.

Note: All predictions below are based on Android 8.0 arriving in mid-August. Adjust the predicted update arrival dates accordingly if you think Google will drop it sooner or later than mid-August.

Samsung Android 8.0 update

Samsung isn’t exactly speedy when it comes to rolling out Android updates, and we sadly don’t expect that to change significantly with the Android 8.0 update. In our mid-rollout assessment for Nougat, Samsung is near the bottom of the score sheet. Yes, the company has near limitless resources, but it also has the largest product portfolio by far and countless carrier agreements spanning the globe to slow it down.

Flagships come first and the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will be on the top of the update list alongside the Galaxy Note 8, due to be officially unveiled in late August (it’s feasible, if unlikely, that the Note 8 could launch with Android O on board).

• Samsung Galaxy S8/S8 Plus update tracker
• Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge update tracker

Looking at Nougat, Samsung got the first updates out to the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in China and the UK 143 days after Google released Android 7.0. The update took a grand total of 180 days to reach US shores, landing first on T-Mobile, followed by AT&T the day after and Sprint two days after that. Verizon hobbled across the finish line a couple of weeks later.

But what about the year before? For the Marshmallow update, Verizon actually got there first, delivering Android 6.0 to the Galaxy Note 5 after 156 days. Carrier performance can fluctuate year to year and device to device, but based on these two efforts, we can expect the first update to Android 8.0 for the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus to arrive between 5-6 months after it is released by Google – around January or February 2018 if the Oreo update lands in August.

Korean S8 owners will likely get it at least a month earlier than the US, and of course, both Samsung and its carrier partners could either speed things up this year, or slow them down even further. But a 2017 Samsung Android 8.0 update looks unlikely.

Best case scenario: 5-6 months after Android 8.0 arrives (January/February 2018)

LG Android 8.0 update

LG managed to launch the V20 last year with Android Nougat pre-installed – the first phone to arrive with the latest version of Android out of the box. We might see a similar thing happen this year with the upcoming LG V30, which is due to be unveiled on August 31, just a few days after the Galaxy Note 8.

LG managed to swing this last year largely thanks to its tight relationship with Google on various Nexus partnerships, but we wouldn’t be surprised if this year Samsung hasn’t tried to wrestle that special benefit from its South Korean competition’s hands. Regardless of whether LG manages a repeat of last year’s pre-installed magic trick, LG has a bit of work to do with the rest of its device updates.

• LG G5 update tracker
• LG V10 update tracker

With Nougat, LG got the first update out to the LG G5 on Sprint after 91 days, just two weeks after the very first update hit South Korean devices. T-Mobile followed a little over a week later, followed by Verizon immediately afterward. AT&T dropped the ball big-time, taking double the length of time it took Sprint to get Nougat out: an eye-watering 182 days (which, for comparison’s sake is the same amount of time it took for the very first Samsung device to get updated to Nougat).

For the Marshmallow update, LG was similarly speedy, taking less than two months to get it out in South Korea and just 75 days for the US, on the Sprint LG G4. Non-flagship devices have always been LG’s weak point, so being first with an update for one device isn’t exactly helpful if you don’t own the latest and greatest.

Either way, we should see the LG Android 8.0 update roll out for the LG G6 somewhere between two and a half months to three months after Google releases it. As per usual, South Korea will likely get it about two weeks earlier. That puts the first US update around October or November depending on when in August Oreo first becomes available. As mentioned above, the V30 might well arrive with Oreo pre-installed.

Best case scenario: 2.5-3 months after Android 8.0 arrives (October/November 2017)

Sony Android 8.0 update

Sony’s decision to cancel its Concept for Android program is disappointing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the company won’t still put out a developer preview of Android O before the official release from Google. Previews aside, Sony is actually getting better at updating its devices to new versions of Android, which is especially noteworthy because there are still a lot of them.

For the Sony Android 8.0 update we’d expect the Xperia XZ Premium to be at the top of the list. There’s a very real possibility that Sony could have a new flagship in time for IFA, just like LG and Samsung, but it’s pretty unlikely it would ship with Android O on board.

• Sony Xperia X Performance update tracker
• Sony Xperia XA update tracker

The Sony Nougat update first landed on the Xperia X Performance 99 days after Google released it, with the Xperia XZ update coming one day later. What’s perhaps more important though, is that Sony then pushed the Nougat update to even more current devices in the coming weeks, something that can’t be said of all OEMs after they get their first device over the line.

This a vast improvement over the Marshmallow update, which took five months to arrive for the Xperia Z5, Z4 Tablet and Z3+. Sony was admittedly going through a tough period at the time, so lets’ hope the company’s Nougat performance is more indicative of the new Sony approach to updates.

With this in mind, we could see the first Sony Android 8.0 update a little over three months following its official release. That puts it somewhere in the vicinity of November or December. One thing to keep in mind here is that Sony isn’t as weighed down by carrier delays as other manufacturers in the US – unfortunately because none of them seem to want to have anything to do with Sony.

Best case scenario: 3-3.5 months after Android 8.0 arrives (November/December 2017)

Motorola Android 8.0 update

Motorola has also been through a pretty tumultuous time of late, exchanging hands between Google and Lenovo, having its legendary moniker stripped and later reinstated and generally not seeming to know whether its coming or going. Some good things have managed to stay in place though, primarily the company’s ability to get out rapid updates.

Besides Motorola’s relationship with Verizon on the Droid range in the US, Moto phones typically get bought outright, meaning there’s no lengthy carrier delay for a lot of owners. But even with its carrier dependent Droid phones, Motorola still manages to get updates out quickly, a handy leftover from its time under Google’s wing and pared-back interface.

• Moto Z Play update tracker

Motorola was the first OEM to get the Nougat update out in the US, delivering it to the Moto Z and Moto Z Force (including the Droid versions) after just 88 days. The international unlocked update rolled out a couple of days later, putting Moto well ahead of the competition.

The Marshmallow update was a similar story, with the Moto X Pure Edition getting it in just two months. Pure Editions are no longer a thing, but Motorola has shown it can get an Android update out within two to three months of Google. Giving the company the benefit of the doubt means the first Motorola Android 8.0 update could land in October, but we’re leaning a little more towards November.

Best case scenario: 2-3 months after Android 8.0 arrives (October/November 2017)

HTC Android 8.0 update

HTC has a pretty good comeback phone on its hands with the U11, even if its massive size and large bezels stick out a little in today’s skinny bezel-less landscape. The company was one of the first to start stripping away core features and moving them into Google Play, where they could be updated independently of a major firmware update.

HTC has proven itself to be one of the more forward-thinking Android manufacturers where updates are concerned, but being adventurous sometimes leads to issues. HTC was one of a few OEMs to temporarily shut down their Nougat update due to issues that only became apparent after the rollout had begun.

• HTC 10 update tracker
• HTC One M9 update tracker

Bugs notwithstanding on the Nougat rollout, HTC got it out internationally after just 95 days, with it landing on the T-Mobile HTC 10 after 138 days. T-Mobile was also the first in the US to get Nougat out to the HTC One M9, taking another two and a half months to deliver that update.

By comparison, the Marshmallow update was all over the place (if generally very promising): the HTC One M8 Google Play edition was naturally very quick out the gate, followed a few weeks later by the Developer Edition of the HTC One M9 in December. Unlocked versions of the One M9 and A9 also got updated (to Android 6.0.1 rather than 6.0) in December and most carrier-branded versions in early January.

Times have obviously changed since the good old days of Google Play and Developer Editions, meaning HTC’s Oreo performance is probably more likely to match Nougat than Marshmallow. That gives us a date of around four and a half months for the HTC Android 8.0 update, putting it somewhere around December or January, depending on when exactly Android O officially drops.

Best case scenario: 4-5 months after Android 8.0 arrives (December 2017/January 2018)

Huawei Android 8.0 update

Huawei, like LG, sits a little outside the normal scope of Android updates because the company typically releases a device at the end of the year with the latest version of Android pre-installed. The Huawei Mate 8 had Marshmallow out of the box and the Mate 9 had Nougat on board.

Huawei also doesn’t have any carrier agreements in the US, selling its phones in the country unlocked. While that means there are no carrier delays imposed on Huawei’s update rollouts, the company doesn’t have the best track record where pushing updates to its US devices are concerned.

• Huawei P9, P9 Plus, P9 Lite update tracker

The first Nougat update pushed out by Huawei was to the Huawei Mate 8 and P9 in China, coming three and a half months after Google released it. The first US update, as far as I can tell, came to the Huawei P9 Lite in mid-January, five months after Nougat appeared, with the Mate 9 getting a patch in early March followed by the Amazon Alexa update a couple of weeks later.

It’s impossible to judge a timeline for the Huawei Android 8.0 update due to the company’s lack of focus on the US market, its habit of releasing updates for select international regions (but not all), dropping early access betas and promising updates that never arrive. The Huawei Mate 10 should arrive with Oreo on board, but that’s about as accurate a prediction as we can make.

Best case scenario: Your guess is as good as ours

If you’d like to see us add more OEMs to this list, hit the comments and we’ll gaze into our crystal ball for the next update!

Google released the third Android O developer preview about three weeks ago, less than a month after the second preview rolled out to Nexus and Pixel devices.

While a new version of Android is always exciting, it’s important to remember that this is a non-final build and you may run the risk of running into app crashes, poor battery life, and other little inconsistencies throughout the operating system.

See also:

Everything new in Android O: features and changes

Everything new in Android O: features and changes

May 17, 2017

Android O Developer Preview 2 was pretty stable for me, so I had no qualms with loading up this new version on my Nexus 6P. But should you install it on your device?

Android O Developer Preview 3 stability and battery life

I’ve been running the third Android O developer preview on my Nexus 6P for the past three weeks or so. As I’ve mentioned in the past, my Nexus 6P has been experiencing battery life issues for months, long before the first O preview was released. I’m pretty sure it has to with a failing battery rather than poor software optimization, so be sure to keep that in mind before taking my word on battery stability.

Overall, I’ve been very happy with Android O’s stability so far. I’m able to multitask with ease, swipe through Instagram and Twitter without many stutters at all, and even play graphic-intensive games. I haven’t experienced any applications force closing on me, and this time around, I even trusted it to navigate somewhere with Google Maps. No issues at all! Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity have also been awesome for me.

Battery life isn't bad for a developer preview, but it could be better

Battery life isn’t bad for a developer preview, but it could be better. I’m still getting about three hours of screen-on time, which is what I was getting with the stable build of 7.1.1 Nougat prior to this. I’m hoping Google’s new background limits in apps will help with battery life in later builds though.

Perhaps the only issue I’ve come across, aside from poor battery life, is that every once in awhile, double-tapping the power button to launch the camera will cause the phone to freeze. This isn’t a huge issue for me, though it is still worth noting. My colleague David Imel, who’s been using Android O DP3 on his Pixel XL, has experienced a few other issues. Every time he gets a notification from Slack, his phone rings and vibrates two times for each notification he receives.

All of my app icons are stuck in 'square icon' mode

There is one other thing I should bring up here. New to the Pixel Launcher in Android O is the ability to choose different icon shapes. The Google Now Launcher, which I have installed, doesn’t support that feature, though it seems like all of my icons are stuck in “square icon” mode. Weird.

In my experience, Android O Developer Preview 3 is daily driver material, though your mileage will definitely vary. I’m not recommending you go out and install this build on your only smartphone, but I don’t think you’re going to hate it. Of course, I also have multiple other Android phones to choose from on my desk, so the decision is a little easier for me.

Other known issues

But those aren’t the only issues associated with the third preview. In Google’s release notes, the company says you might experience problems with:

• Slow/janky system and app performance
• Occasional audio stuttering
• Wi-Fi driver issues that prevent finding available Wi-Fi networks
• Music audio routing to device speakers instead of USB headset
• Call audio routing to earpiece instead of Bluetooth when a user connects/disconnects a wired headset during a call
• “No backups found” message when a new account is created through cloud restore flow
• Docked apps may become invisible in landscape mode when a device is unlocked
• PIP window goes to fullscreen mode while launching system settings
• On Pixel Launcher, some home screen UI elements are rendered offscreen while in very short screen configurations
• Devices may not respond to input on paired Bluetooth keyboards
• Dialer app may crash when ending emergency calls made from lock screen/when phone permission is revoked
• Messages app may crash when sending MMS after permissions are revoked and re-granted
• Gmail app may crash when running low on storage space

There are quite a few other known issues in this release, and you can find them all right here.

New features I like

Alright, let’s stop being so negative. There are a lot of new things I like about Android O so far… my favorite of which being bundled notifications and the revitalized quick settings menu. These aren’t DP3 specific, but I still can’t get enough of them.

Speaking of notifications, I’m also really fond of Android O’s new adaptive media control notifications (pictured above). Now in Android O, the media controls that appear in your notification shade and on your lock screen will adapt to the color of the album artwork for the music or podcast you’re currently listening to. I’ve seen some pretty beautiful color schemes so far, though others can be a little tacky — especially when you have two or three notifications going at one time.

I’ve also found Google Chrome’s PiP mode support quite handy over the past few weeks, and I can’t wait for other apps to adopt this functionality as well.

Stuff I haven’t tested yet

As mentioned, I’ve been using the Google Now Launcher on my Nexus 6P to test out Android O. Since there’s still some fragmentation between the Android experience found on Nexus and Pixel phones, unfortunately I haven’t been able to try out some of Android O’s new features. Some of the things I couldn’t test were improvements to the Pixel’s Night Light feature, long-pressing on icons to pull up widgets, and notification dots.

If you want to learn more about all these non-Nexus improvements in Android O, check out our Diving into Android O series for all the details. Also, be sure to check out our Android O Developer Preview 2 walkthrough below to see some of these changes in action:

Now I want to hear from you! Have you used the third developer preview yet? If so, how has your experience been so far? Sound off in the comments below.

Picture-in-picture support for video is already available in the Android O Developer Preview with some apps and it’s going to be one of the standout features of Android 8.0 when it’s released later this year. Picture-in-picture mode, or PiP, is a feature which allows Android users to play a video and place it somewhere on the screen while working on another task.

This was previously available in apps such as YouTube, Duo and Play Movies but, according to Android Police, it’s now supported in Chrome too. If you’re running the Android O Developer Preview, simply tap the Home button when watching a video in full screen via Chrome and it will pop out into its own box which can be moved around the display.

See also:

AutoVoice Chrome extension for the PC now works with Google Assistant

AutoVoice Chrome extension for the PC now works with Google Assistant

May 2, 2017

This works for any video you watch in Chrome but it’s not yet clear which versions of Chrome it’s compatible with (if it’s not working for you, try updating to the latest version).

We’re likely to see support for PiP coming to more and more apps as we run up to the Android 8.0 launch, expected in Q3 2017. For more on what Android O is capable of, visit our Android O features roundup at the link. If you want to install the latest version of Chrome, download it at the button below.

Download Chrome

Previous updates

New offline features

May 9: In a Google blog post, product manager Tal Oppenheimer announced some new improvements coming to Chrome for Android’s offline features. You can now tap and hold on any link to download it with the “Download link” option — something that is also possible with article suggestions that appear when you open a new tab. What’s more, the dinosaur page you’ll find in Chrome if you try to access a page while you’re offline now includes a “Download Page Later,” button. Tapping this will mean the page is automatically downloaded when you reconnect to the internet.

Finally, Google has also altered the “new tab” page so that you’ll now see your offline articles, indicated by their “offline badge.” Your most recent downloads will also be shown there at the right-side of the page, too.

Welcome to the Sony Xperia X Compact Android update tracker page. This page covers all major software news for the Sony Xperia X Compact and will be updated regularly with new information.

Unlike our other Android update tracker pages, this article doesn’t contain specific carrier details because the Xperia X Compact (along with the X, XA, X Performance and XA Ultra) were sold in the US unlocked. We recommend you bookmark this page so you can stay up to date with the very latest updates. Note that we won’t be covering general security patches in our list.

• Android Marshmallow update tracker
• Android 7.0 Nougat update tracker

Sony Xperia X Compact Android Nougat update

Android Nougat hit the Xperia X Compact around the middle of December, 2016, rolling out alongside the Xperia X. It first appeared in Latin America, Turkey, Australia and several other regions before Sony announced the official rollout on December 19. It arrived with build number 34.2.A.0.266.

Sony has been pretty fast with regards to Nougat updates so far, and is now rolling out Android 7.1.1 Nougat to the Xperia X Compact.

Sony Xperia X Compact Update US

US Sony Xperia X Compact update:

• June 22, 2017, Sony rolls out Android 7.1.1 to the Xperia X Compact (F5321).
• December 19, 2016, Sony announces the Android Nougat rollout for the Xperia X Compact on its global Twitter channel.

International Sony Xperia X Compact update:

• June 22, 2017, Sony begins rolling out Android 7.1.1 to the Xperia X Compact (F5321).
• December 28, 2016, Sony announces on Twitter that Nougat is now arriving to the Canadian Xperia X Compact.
• December 16, 2016, Android Nougat hits devices in Turkey, the Middle East, Latin America, Australia and more.

If you’ve received an update we’ve missed, hit the comments below or tip us!

Welcome to the Sony Xperia X Android update tracker page. This page covers all major update news for the Sony Xperia X and will be updated regularly with new information.

Unlike our other Android update tracker pages, this article doesn’t contain specific carrier details because the Xperia X (along with the XA, X Performance and XA Ultra) were sold in the US unlocked. We recommend you bookmark this page so you can stay up to date with the very latest updates. Note that we won’t be covering general security patches in our list.

• Android Marshmallow update tracker
• Android 7.0 Nougat update tracker

Sony Xperia X Android Nougat update

Sony rolled out the Android Nougat update to the Xperia X around December 16, alongside the Xperia X Compact. The update appeared first in territories including Australia, Latin America, Middle East, Russia, before hitting the US with build number 34.2.A.0.266.

Sony was among the first to update its main devices to Android 7.0 and recently started rolling out the Android 7.1.1 update to handsets from the Xperia X series. On June 22, the Xperia X (F5122) began receiving Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

Sony Xperia X Update US

US Unlocked Sony Xperia X update:

• December 19, 2016, Sony announces the Nougat rollout to the Xperia X via its global Twitter channel.

International Sony Xperia X update:

• June 22, 2017, Android 7.1.1 Nougat begins rolling out to the Xperia X (F5122).
• December 28, 2016, Sony Xperia Canada announces Nougat rollout on Twitter.
• December 16, 2016, Sony rolls out the Android Nougat update to devices in the Middle East, Latin America, Australia and other regions, paving the way for the US deployment.

If you’ve received an update we’ve missed, hit the comments below or tip us!

Welcome to the Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus and Moto G4 Play Android update tracker page. This page covers all major software news for the Moto G4 family and will be updated regularly with new information.

The Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus tend to receive their updates simultaneously – or at least very close together — while it looks like the same Moto G4 Play updates could follow some months later. That seems to be the case for Nougat, but we’ll keep an eye on the situation going forward. For now, they’re all being bundled together in this article.

We recommend you bookmark this page so you can stay up to date with the very latest updates. Note that we won’t be covering general security patches in our list.

• Android Marshmallow update tracker
• Android 7.0 Nougat update tracker

Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus and Moto G4 Play Android Nougat update

The first sighting of Android Nougat for the Moto G4 and G4 Plus was in India midway through December. This appeared on the device’s of a handful of users before the official rollout started just before the new year.

It was then quiet on the update front for a couple of months before speculation of its imminent deployment arose in early March. The update then rolled out to the Moto G4 Plus at the end of the month bringing unlocked devices in the US up to Android Nougat with a 741 MB package; the same rollout on the regular G4 occurred around the same time.

Unlocked US Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus and Moto G4 Play update:

• March 31, 2017, Lenovo rolls out Android Nougat to Moto G4 Plus in the US.

International Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus and Moto G4 Play update:

• December 29, 2016, Lenovo rolls out Android Nougat to the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus in India.
• June 19, 2017, Lenovo rolls out Android 7.1.1 Nougat to the Moto G4 Play in Brazil.

If you’ve received an update we’ve missed, hit the comments below or tip us!

Oh boy, Hiroshi Lockheimer is tweeting stuff again. Related question, who had Orangina in the Android O betting pool? We sure didn’t. Hiroshi Lockheimer took to Twitter this evening to ask folks about their preferences between three sweet treats. They were Peanut M&Ms, Milk Chocolate M&Ms, and…Orangina?

A quick Google Search reveals that Orangina is a soft drink that hails from France and invented by a Spaniard named Trigo Mirallès in the 1930’s. Google loves multi-cultural stuff like that. In North America, the drink was first introduced by Dr Pepper Snapple Inc under the name Orelia. It reverted back to its original name in the 1980’s. Its ownership and distribution for the rest of the world is a little more complicated. Yeah, we’re good at reading Wikipedia entries when needed.

There’s a lot that jumps out at you from the tweet. Urgent? Why is this urgent, Mr. Lockheimer? We can’t imagine how a debate originated around two chocolate candies and a random, totally unrelated carbonated fruit drink. Never mind that every iteration of that drink starts with the letter O. It’s also during the biggest guessing game season for Android nerds all over the world. Also, have you seen the Wikipedia image for this stuff? See the image below.

Marketing campaigns like that probably wouldn’t do very well these days. In any case, we don’t know how Orangina isn’t the obvious choice for Android O. The colors even match the Android O Easter egg. Orelia would be even better. That’s the kind of hilarious, obscure name that no one would see coming. Perhaps it’s a match made in heaven. Or maybe we’re reading too far into things. When it comes to guessing the next name of Android, all you can really do is throw spaghetti and see what sticks.

We still like Oreo better, but Orangina has a nice ring to it. We don’t engage in conspiracy theories often. However, when prominent (read: any) Google employees start posting random dessert names that coincide with that year’s letter in the middle of the night on Twitter, it’s kind of hard not to, right? To put the final nail in the coffin, it seems like Peanut M&Ms is going to win the poll. I voted for Milk Chocolate. Damn.

Check out some more Android O goodness!

 

Android O Developer Preview 3 adds useful-but-annoying no...

June 9, 2017

 

Everything new in Android O: features and changes

May 17, 2017

Google released Android O Developer Preview 3 on Thursday. Now there’s word that one of the most popular third-party superuser management tools, SuperSU, has released a new version that will work with at least some of the devices that officially support Android O.

See also:

Everything new in Android O

Everything new in Android O

May 17, 2017

Chainfire, the developer behind SuperSU, announced his plans to support Android O in a Twitter post Thursday. He stated he had SuperSU working with the Nexus 5X, the Nexus 6P and the Pixel XL phones from Google.

A few hours later, Chainfire posted on his Google+ account that the beta version of SuperSU v2.82 SR1 has now been released. The lengthy post goes over, in highly technical detail, all of the changes and fixes that are included in this new version. It makes for good reading if you understand the finer points, but here is the summary change log for the new release:

• ZIP: Detect AVB signature on input boot image, and sign output image accordingly (force with SIGNBOOTIMAGE, custom keys in /tmp/avb)
• ZIP: Samsung/7.0+: if /data is not currently encrypted, disable encryption (unless KEEPFORCEENCRYPT or REMOVEENCRYPTABLE are set)
• ZIP: Detect TWRP UI slot switch (Pixel/XL: 3.1.0-RC2+)
• ZIP: Further improve /system device detection
• ZIP: Support compiling sepolicy from split CILs
• ZIP: Kernel patch: support LZ4 compressed kernels (new format only)
• ZIP: Mount /vendor
• ZIP: Add /vendor/lib[64] to LD_LIBRARY_PATH
• ZIP: Initial Pixel+ODP2 support
• ZIP+APK: Fixes in boot partition detection
• sukernel: Allow cpio-add of 0-byte files
• sukernel: Add dtb (in-kernel only) related features
• suinit: Improve logging
• suinit: Support pre-mounting /system and /system_root (ODP2+)
• sukernel+suinit+ZIP: Reduce system_root footprint by dynamically importing entries at boot
• supolicy: Adjustments for ODP3

You can go ahead and download the beta of SuperSU v2.82-SR1 at the button below. If you need some help flashing the tool on your phone, you can head over to Chainfire’s site to get the full instructions. Do note that Chainfire noted some problems flashing SuperSU through TWRP, later sharing fastboot boot-to-root images on XDA Developers to sidestep the problem.