Google is finally closing into the final and official version of Android O as it recently launched the fourth and last Developer Preview of the next software update. A string of major features and tweaks have already been teased in public from since the first preview.
Android O, hyped as the Android 8.0 Octopus, will officially be launched in August. Some initial features that arrived in the first Developer Preview have made a comeback in the fourth unofficial version with a few notable changes. Here are some of the major features and changes in the final Android 8.0 Octopus Developer Preview.
Octopus Easter egg
When Google dropped the Android's new octopus logo for the next-generation version, everyone went gaga. In Android's tradition, software versions are named after sweets. Little did everyone know, the octopus' head and colour resemble that of an Oreo, which what everyone was rooting for the next Android name.
Android Authority speculated that the Oreo-looking octopus will float around the screen. Other than that, no other details are available on what this octopus does onscreen.
G logo
For Pixel phones, Android is ditching the boot screen logo "powered by Android" and replacing it with the multicoloured G logo.
Interface changes
Google has made quite a few less noticeable tweaks in the font, lock screen, and notification. On the lock screen, the clock is reduced smaller and date is no longer capitalised. The battery in the status bar gets bolder, while the carrier info and time are placed with a little more space from side to side.
Icon shape option
The option to alter the shape of an app's icon did not make it to the final Developer Preview. Earlier tests allow users to change app icons into five different shapes, including round, square, and teardrop. Meanwhile, the Icon Badging has been eliminated from the home screen settings and now appears on the Notification Dots toggle in the Notifications settings menu.
Android 8.0 Octopus, still, brings a tonne of new features and exciting changes to look forward to in the final roll-out.
