It looks like Samsung is preparing an Android 8.0 Oreo beta for Galaxy devices, and if we’re lucky, it may come down for two popular devices in the near future.
Google has promised a number of third-party Android Oreo updates before the end of the year. While some companies have detailed their plans, others like Samsung remain silent. This may change soon.
Samsung is reportedly working on Galaxy S8 Android Oreo updates and it looks like it could come out before the two updates are officially released.
Samsung enthusiast site SamMobile have released new Oreo firmware versions For Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. These versions are G950FXXE1ZQI7 and G955FXXU1ZQI7.
The device names are there, G950 (Galaxy S8) and G955 (Galaxy S8+), but the key component is the letter “Z” that the company adds to these updates.
Samsung uses the letter “Z” in its test software, and the letter was available in Android Nougat versions for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.
Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Android Nougat beta program began in November and ended in December before being released in early 2017. Samsung hasn’t announced a timeframe, but we could see the Galaxy S8 Android 8.0 Oreo update coming much sooner.
Android introduces a new feature called Oreo Project Treble As Google says, it will make it “easier, faster, and less costly for manufacturers to update devices to a new version of Android.”
A Galaxy Android Oreo beta has not been confirmed but the rumors make sense.
Last year Samsung used the Galaxy Beta Program app in the Galaxy Apps store to launch the Galaxy S7 Nougat beta, and we may see it using a similar process this year.
The company has also limited the Galaxy S7 Nougat beta to a few devices in several different regions. In the United States, only those on major carriers were allowed to test pre-release software. The company also excluded the Galaxy S7 Active.
A Galaxy S8 Android Oreo beta will allow Samsung to use testers to discover bugs and issues before a widespread release. In turn, it would allow Galaxy S8 users to enjoy Android Oreo features before anyone else.
Samsung did not reveal the Android Oreo Nougat version, although it continued to surface ahead of the company’s official announcement.
The Galaxy S8 Android 8.0 update recently surfaced in tests, which is a sign that it’s being tested behind the scenes, and the company is reportedly planning to put Android Oreo on the Galaxy S9 flagship, according to rumors. There are rumors that the Galaxy S9 version will launch early next year.
While devices like the Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S7, and Galaxy S9 will almost certainly run Android Oreo at some point, there’s no guarantee that other popular devices will.
Phones like the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 fall outside of Samsung’s standard two-year support, meaning they’ll likely stay on Android Nougat.
They may not be upgraded to Android Oreo, but software support for these devices and others probably won’t end anytime soon.
Samsung and its worldwide carrier partners often extend bug fixes and security patches to devices well beyond the two-year mark. Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy S5 recently received new security updates and they are still on Android Marshmallow.
With Android Oreo on the horizon, the chances of a common Android 7.1.1 Nougat for older Galaxy phones and tablets look slim.
Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 8 is the first Galaxy device to run Android 7.1.1 Nougat.
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