Android O Release: Google May Launch Update August 21 Alongside Solar Eclipse

Google will reportedly release the Android O update for Android smartphones later this month. Google

Google Android users have been waiting for the latest version of the mobile operating system to drop for a few months, but they might finally have a set release date for Android O. Via Twitter, VentureBeat’s Evan Blass said Saturday Android O is slated to come out later this month.

Android O release scheduled for the week of 8/21, "most likely on the 21st itself."
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 12, 2017

Read: Android O Release Date For Pixel Delayed, Google To Reveal Name Soon

While Google has yet to confirm a hard release date for Android O, the news also lines up with previous speculation about the operating system’s release date. Last week, Android Police’s David Ruddock had a series of tweets on Android O and its release details. Ruddock initially reported that Google would give a full name for Android O on Aug. 21. On Twitter Friday, Ruddock also followed up with a slated Aug. 21 launch date for Android O.

According to one source whose information I cannot verify, Android O will receive a name on the day of the solar eclipse (August 21st).
— David Ruddock (@RDR0b11) August 10, 2017

In addition, Ruddock also theorized that Google would plan to give the launch a “degree of spectacle.”

It also sounds like Google is planning some degree of spectacle around this. It won't just be a random "oh hey here's a statue" thing.
— David Ruddock (@RDR0b11) August 10, 2017

Google has been similarly tight-lipped about the official name for Android O. However, rumors have widely said that the operating system will be named Oreo, which follows past Android names about candy or sweets. Plus, there’s additional precedent for naming Android iterations after brand-name candy. For 2013’s Android 4.4 KitKat, Google hammered out an agreement with KitKat parent company Nestlé.

Read: Nine Features Announced At Google I/O 2017

The search giant initially announced Android O at its Google I/O developers conference earlier this year. The update will include a suite of new updates for Google Android users, including picture-in-picture playback, improved performance and new emojis. At the moment, there’s been little confirmation on if the solar eclipse will tie into Google’s Android O launch at all — most rumors have started and stopped on Oreos and the sun both being round — but speculation about Android O being named Oreo was also hinted at in a February 2017 tweet from Google executive Hiroshi Lockheimer.