Android 8.1 Oreo Final Release is Imminent

Google should be pushing the final release of Android 8.1 Oreo sometime in the next 24 hours or so according to their latest blog post. While the announcement is focused on Google's Android Go initiative for "entry-level" Android devices with 1GB RAM or less, it also points towards an imminent Android 8.1 release:

"We're excited to announce that this software experience—Android Oreo (Go edition)—is ready, and launching as a part of the Android 8.1 release tomorrow."

Google

Given that it was late Monday night in Mountain View at the time of this post being shared on Google+, it's likely that the final release of Android 8.1 will occur sometime on Tuesday.

The Android 8.1 Oreo release will most likely come in the form of factory images for supported devices such as the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, and Pixel C devices. OTAs will likely follow on Wednesday in the form of a gradual rollout, while the source code could be pushed to AOSP as early as Tuesday.

Android 8.1 brings some welcome refinements to Oreo, including reducing the storage footprint of inactive apps, enhanced autofill capabilities like saving login credentials for various apps and the activation of the special "Visual Core" image-processing chip in the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Also included are some fixes for various problems that have plagued the second-generation Pixel phones including video recording issues and even random reboots.

Android's distribution numbers have always shown a very low rate of adoption for the latest version of Android, as can be seen very prominently by Android 8.0 Oreo's 0.3% share in November's distribution numbers. So, unless your device is on the list of supported devices or your device has quality custom ROM support, your wait for Android 8.1 could be extended by at least a few months in the most optimistic of scenarios.

Have you received the Android 8.1 Oreo update on your device? Let us know your experience in the comments below!

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