It seems that Android 7.0 Nougat is barely out of the gates and already the focus of everyone’s attention has moved on to the next version of Android. That next version will be the eighth major release of the world’s most popular mobile OS and if Google’s past penchant for the alphabet is anything to base assumptions off of (it is—especially since the company renamed itself Alphabet, with Google only not being one division of the larger company) it’s very likely the next version of Android will be colloquially known as “Android O”.
But just what will Android O entail? Truthfully, we don’t know much yet—but slowly some leaks have begun to appear. Here’s everything you can expect from the next Android OS.
Android O: Name
Google seems to like naming its Android OSes after candy (Android L was “Lollipop” Android M was “Marshmallow”) so what could Android O possible stand for? Many have suggested silly things like “oatcake” or “orange”. However, Google might not limit O to generics. After all, Android 4.0 was called Kitkat. I’m really hoping they go down the brand name route for Android O. Tops of my list is Oreo, because it’s the best cookie ever. But if they want to get really crazy they could call it Orly (a popular candy bar in Chile), Orion (a popular candy bar in the Czech Republic), Old Faithful, or–and this would be awesome–Oh Henry!
It's quite possible Google will go with a non-branded O-based confectionary name though, as to date the only one that ever had a cross-branding was KitKat. We'll confess that right now, off the top of our heads, we can't think of any sweets or puddings that begin with "O", so we'll leave it to you to suggest something in the comments!
Android O: Release date
While the name might be harder to guess, the first preview of Android O is easier to surmise. The next Android OS will almost certainly be previewed by this year’s Google I/O, which takes place from May 17-19 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. Google will also almost certainly release a developer preview that day. Of course, Google could actually announce Android O earlier than its I/O conference–it did with Android N last year too.
As for a public release date, expect to be downloading it for certain phones come August or September. There’s a few reasons for this. First, Nougat appeared during the same timeframe last year. Second, an OS update spurs sales of new devices—important for the holiday shopping season that begins this fall. Third, Apple will be releasing iOS 11 around the same time (probably in September), which will mean Android devices will need some new features to tout.
Android O: Which phones will be the first to get it?
Of course, just because Android O gets a public release in August/September doesn’t mean all phones will have access to it right away. It’s almost certain that Google will release a new Pixel flagship phone around the time that will ship with Android O preinstalled. Older Pixel and Nexus phones should get an Android O downloadable update shortly after that. As for other major flagship phones from the likes of Samsung, LG, and HTC? Expect an Android O update for some of those devices before Christmas, with virtually all of them getting the new OS by early 2018.
Android O: Will it merge with Android Andromeda?
Probably not. For those that don’t know, Android Andromeda is a merger of Android and Chrome OS that Google has reportedly been working on for a while. Matter of fact, back in October 2015 the Wall Street Journal revealed that Google is set to merge the two operating systems by 2017. As the WSJ reported: “Alphabet Inc. ’s Google plans to fold its Chrome operating system for personal computers into its Android mobile operating system, according to people familiar with the matter, a sign of the growing dominance of mobile computing. Google engineers have been working for roughly two years to combine the operating systems and have made progress recently, two of the people said. The company plans to unveil its new, single operating system in 2017, but expects to show off an early version next year, one of the people said.”
But as Google has made virtually zero reference to Andromeda’s future, that 2017 date is in doubt. However, Google could surprise everyone at I/O and announce there will actually be NO Android O and instead all devices going forwards will have Android Andromeda on them.
Android O: Features
So what will Android O feature? The short answer is “no one knows…yet.” However, there are plenty of things on people’s wish lists including a theme engine, a dedicated Play Store for Android Wear, better hardware management, and greater Continuity-like support between Android phones and PCs.
As for what else is coming? We’ll update this post as soon as we hear anything.
