Google released last month the final developer preview for Android O, the next major version of its mobile operating system, but there was no indication on when it will be released to the public — until now.
Two sources have leaked the Android O release date, for the benefit of Android users who have been looking forward to the operating system upgrade.
Android O To Launch Aug. 21
According to two reliable sources, Google will roll out Android O on Aug. 21, which is just over a week away from now.
The first source is Android Police editor David Ruddock, who claimed that the Android O launch date has actually been delayed for unknown reasons, though most likely to iron out remaining bugs and issues before the public release.
Ruddock tweeted that Android O will be rolled out to Google Pixel smartphones on Aug. 21, which is the same day when Google will finally unveil the operating system's name.
Meanwhile, the second source is Evan Blass, a prolific leaker for everything about smartphones. In a tweet, he said that the Android O release date will fall within the week of Aug. 21, though most likely on Aug. 21 itself.
With these two reliable sources claiming that Android O will likely launch on Aug. 21, this is possibly the best information that we have regarding the date of the Android O public release in advance of an official announcement from Google. Android users who have been looking forward to the operating system can now mark their calendars unless even more issues and bugs crop up to further delay Android O's launch.
What's In Android O?
Google rolled out the first Android O beta in May at this year's Google I/O conference, revealing that the operating system will add several features such as Notification Dots, which signal new content; Vitals, which quickens the boot time of Android O; Wise Limits, which limits the resources used by background apps; Copy Less, which uses machine learning to reduce the number of times that users have to copy text from one app and paste it in another app; and more.
Other things that users can look forward to in Android O include the launch of Project Treble, which looks to speed up the process of smartphone manufacturers rolling out Android updates; the replacement of the weird blob emojis that Google has used since Android 4.4 KitKat with redesigned ones; a new Google Play Services feature that will allow users to pause updates, so that downloading will not eat up mobile data; and for Pixel smartphone users, the ability to install updates without free space on the device's memory.
