Samsung has started rolling out the beta version of Android 8.0 Oreo for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones. The update is being rolled out via Samsung Experience 9.0 beta which is built on Android Oreo UI and Grace UX. The availability is, however, limited as only to Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ users in South Korea, the US and the UK.
To become a beta tester, users need to have an active Samsung account and download the update via Samsung Members app or the Samsung+ app. In South Korea, Galaxy S8 users need to subscribers of telecom services SKT, KT or LG U+ to download the update. In the US, Sprint and T-Mobile subscribers are entitled for the Android Oreo update. Users in the UK need to have an unlocked device for the same.
Samsung says that during the beta period it aims to “gather helpful insights and feedback from customers on their first impressions of the Samsung Experience 9.0 beta’s performance and usability during the testing period”. Samsung hasn’t given a date for the rollout of the stable version. It also says that the dates will vary in different countries.
SamMobile reports on the new changes Android Oreo beta brings to the Galaxy S8 series. Some of the improvements listed are for Samsun keyboard, Samsung Cloud, performance, security, among others. Android Oreo beta also brings support for dual messenger apps. In addition to this Android Oreo features like managing notifications for each app, notification badges on app icons are also available on Android Oreo beta.
Some of the upgrades include AAC and Sony LDAC support for Bluetooth audio, and addition of auto-repeat and 2x speed in video. Since this is a beta version, some of the features won’t work as expected. Also during this stage, more features and improvements will be added.