Oreo’s getting all kinds of new flavors these days! Peeps for spring, apple pie for summer, and software for fall! Hmm. I guess one of those isn’t as delicious, but we like what we see all the same.
At a brief press event in New York City today, Android revealed that their yearly update will be called Android 8.0 Oreo. It’s the latest sweet-tooth name for the mobile OS, upholding a tradition that goes back to almost the very beginning of Android. It’s the second time Android has turned to a brand-name sweet treat, with Android 4.4 KitKat being the first. Clearly, this means we don’t have enough awesome desserts that start with K or O.
The Android team also revealed that official Android Oreo statue, which is of the little Android dude dressed up in an Oreo cookie like a superhero. It looks like they’ve gone that direction in part to tout Android Oreo’s new security features. Those include Google Play Protect, which regularly scans all of the apps installed on your phone, sideloaded or official, for malware.
The update will also bring picture-in-picture to Android, which will be super awesome for keeping Netflix or video chats running on screen while doing something else. It’s not all good news, though — while the blob-like Android emoji haven’t always been the best (I’ve never agreed with their interpretation of the tongue out emoji), the revamped 8.0 emoji are all circular and lack any sort of unique character. That they’ve ruined their animal emoji is an issue that has also been well-documented.
I AM CRYING
ANDROID O RUINED THE CAT EMOJI
MY BEAUTIFUL ORANGE CAT CHILD IS NOW DEAD#IO17 IS THE DEATH OF A CAT pic.twitter.com/DeMEFTQiq4
— Hedgehog (@SilverEzhik) May 17, 2017
Google detailed all the new features in Android 8.0 at their Google I/O developers conference earlier this year — you can read a rundown of all the upcoming features here. As for the update itself, we expect it will debut alongside the Google Pixel 2 smartphone, which should debut sometime this fall. How soon it will come to existing phones will be up to individual carriers and hardware makers.
This story was originally published at Android 8.0 O is Officially Called Android Oreo, But the Update Won’t Arrive Until Later This Year