News and notes on the latest from Google.
With Google’s recent Play Store policy mandating that all new apps published to the Play Store and all app updates target at least Android 8.0, I’m curious as to how many of the apps installed on your primary device target an older Android version (or API). To find out, there’s a nifty app on the Play Store that lets you do so.
Continue reading “Weekend Poll: What percentage of your apps target an older version of Android?”
Google releases Android distribution numbers every month for developers to help them prioritize their efforts in supporting different devices. The month’s nearly over, so here are October’s distribution numbers:
Continue reading “October 2018 Android distribution numbers posted, still no Pie”
Google releases Android distribution numbers every month for developers to help them prioritize their efforts in supporting different devices. The month’s nearly over, so here are September’s distribution numbers:
Continue reading “September 2018 Android distribution numbers posted, still no Pie in sight”
Yes, you read that correctly: Oreo—not Pie.
Continue reading “Samsung’s mid-range smartphone Oreo roadmap is out”
Google usually releases Android distribution numbers in the first week of every month, but lately, that hasn’t been the case: June numbers weren’t posted at all, and we’re getting July’s numbers only now as we near the end of the month. Nevertheless, let’s dive into them.
Continue reading “Android Oreo usage doubles in July 2018 distribution numbers”
As promised in the OnePlus 5T’s launch event, OnePlus has released the first Open Beta Oreo build for the OnePlus 5T right on time. Needless to say, the highlight will have to be updating the OnePlus 5T to the newest treat from Google. Naturally, this update takes cues from the previously released Oreo update to OnePlus’ preceding flagships, as well as having (almost) all the bells and whistles that you expect when updating your phone to Android 8.0, like Picture-in-Picture mode, Smart Text Selection, Auto-fill and more.
Continue reading “OnePlus rolls out first Oreo Open Beta build for the OnePlus 5T”
Last week OnePlus was kind enough to explain to their discerning users why their current OnePlus devices won’t receive Project Treble support with the latest Oreo update. In short, adding Project Treble support necessitates a free partition, large enough to accommodate the OEM’s proprietary stuff separately, so that the main Android OS framework can be updated without reworking the whole vendor-specific code. Though we are yet to see Project Treble in action, Google claims that this should address one of Android’s main shortcomings and considerably speed up the whole updating process. As an extra treat, Project Treble support enables the enthusiastic XDA members to boot a generic, functional, pure AOSP ROM compiled from source with all ease, and enjoy the next iteration of Android way earlier than the OEM’s release.
Continue reading “OnePlus could’ve added Project Treble support for their devices”
While OnePlus has impressed many of us with the release of Android Oreo for the OnePlus 3/3T and the OnePlus 5, a lot of people were very disappointed to know that OnePlus has no plans for adding Project Treble support to any of their current devices, including the recently released OnePlus 5T. Today OnePlus decided to take their time and talk about why they took such decision.
Continue reading “OnePlus opens up about Project Treble support”
Last October, OnePlus shook the Android enthusiasts community with a weird, but pleasant gesture, by releasing an Oreo-based Open Beta build for last year’s flagship devices, the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T, followed by an official stable update in late November, just a couple of weeks ago, making OnePlus the first (sort of) company to upgrade their devices to the new Oreo platform. While a lot of the OnePlus 5 discerning owners were left baffled, it was very satisfying and refreshing to see OnePlus striving to upgrade its devices as soon as they could, and sure enough that did put a smile on their fans’ faces, till they updated to the latest stable version, OxygenOS 5.0.
One of the most interesting features that were announced with Android 8.0 Oreo is Project Treble. Treble marks Google’s attempt to control the fragmentation in the Android ecosystem. Now, XDA editor-in-chief Mishaal Rahman has posted about how he managed to boot an AOSP ROM compiled straight from the source on the Huawei Mate 9.
Continue reading “XDA boots Android Oreo onto the Huawei Mate 9 thanks to Project Treble”
