Android O Features: How To Download Google’s Developer Preview Software

Google is rolling out its Android O developer preview software. This first wave of software for the upcoming operating system will be available for those who design applications for Android.

Google notes this is not a beta version of Android O. However, future previews may be available to a larger audience.

Google is expected to roll out the second developer preview in May. This may coincide with Google I/O, which takes place May 17-19. The Android team will give more details about Android O at that time, but likely won’t reveal the full name of the operating system. Currently, pundits are banking on the name Android Oreo.

There will also be June and August previews available for the official Android software releases during the third quarter. There will likely be a separate beta program for a wider range of consumers to test out the operating system before its general release.

Within the Android O preview, developers will be able to test out some of Google’s new software ideas, such as setting limits on background functions, channels to organize notifications, autofill APIs, and adaptive icons, among others.

The software will only be available for manual install. Developers can access the Android O system images here and manually flash the software onto a compatible handset.

The Android O preview will be available for the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P and Nexus Player devices. Once official, it will likely be the native software for yet-to-be-released Pixel smartphones.