Android 8.0 Features Tipped: Here's What to Expect
Google's Android operating system has received a major update every year since 2012, so we expect to see Android 8.0 this year. While 2016's Android 7.0 Nougat added split-screen mode and direct reply to messages, we're hearing that this year's update will add more features that make the OS more efficient to use.
Google's Pixel handset was one of the first to feature Android 7.1 Nougat. Image: Samuel C. Rutherford / Tom's Guide
There's even a tasty hint as to what its candy codename will be. Here's what we're hearing about Android 8:
Android will copy that for you
Android 8's marquee feature may be an increase in AI-like assistive features. According to a report from VentureBeat, Google's working on a feature called Copy Less that would let the operating system automatically copy data to your clipboard in order to save you the time of selecting text and hitting copy.
According to "a source familiar with the matter," this feature would work in the background, and chime in when it thinks you could use it. The example listed imagined you and your friends texting about where to go for dinner, and after you find a restaurant in the Yelp app, typing "it's at" would add the address of said restaurant in the automatically generated suggestions. Copy Less could show up in either Google's Gboard virtual keyboard or across all of Android.
Messages and maps finally linked
Android 8 could also give messaging apps the power to identify addresses in text and let you tap on them to open them in the maps app. VentureBeat's source said that it's unclear as to whether this would be restricted to the Android Messages app or be made available to all of the operating system's messaging apps.
The absence of this feature is something of a mystery, as iOS users have had it for several years.
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Gesture-based actions
The same source told VentureBeat that Google's developed a feature that lets gestures trigger actions in Android. An example listed suggests drawing the letter C onscreen could bring up a list of your recent contacts.
When will Google announce Android 8?
We could see the first glimpses of Android 8 well before Google's I/O developer conference, which starts May 17, where the company typically debuts the latest version of its OS. Last year, a developer version of Android 7.0 was released in March, while May's I/O conference featured a more formal unveiling of the update.
What candy codename will Google give Android 8?
Google's Senior Vice President of Android Hiroshi Lockheimer has teased that Android 8, which would be Android O, could be codenamed after a popular sandwich cookie. That's right, in a tweet, Lockheimer shared an animated GIF of a cake made of Oreo cookies.
What phones will get Android 8?
Looking at recent history, we expect Google's Pixel and older Nexus handsets to be the first smartphones that will get Android 8.
See also : Best Android Apps You're Not Using
