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16 of the best Android Oreo features to get excited about

Android Oreo is the name, and we already have it installed. There's a long list of new features.

Jason Cipriani
Jason Cipriani is based out of beautiful Colorado and has been covering mobile technology news and reviewing the latest gadgets for the last six years. His work can also be found on sister site CNET in the How To section, as well as across several more online publications.
Jason Cipriani
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Earlier this year, Android Oreo (yum) was revealed as the 2017 flavor of Google's mobile operating system, version 8.0. And, if you have an Android phone, you'll be getting it soon, if you don't already have it. 

Naturally, the Android Oreo statue couldn't just be a boring cookie-cutter robot -- Super Oreo for the win! 

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2 of 17 Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

New emojis

Google redesigned Android's emojis. They now look more cartoonish, and it's easier to decipher exactly what each face is intended to convey.

The company even took the time to write a goodbye letter to Android's longstanding blob emojis. 

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3 of 17 Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Fixed hamburger emoji

With the release of Android Oreo 8.1, Google "fixed" the hamburger emoji by putting the cheese on top of the meat

Details matter, you know? 

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Picture-in-picture

With Android Oreo, you can continue a video call in Duo, use Google Maps navigation or stream a video from various supported apps in picture-in-picture mode. Using it is simple -- just tap the home button when the video is playing and Oreo takes care of the rest.

Here, a movie is streaming via Netflix in picture-in-picture mode. 

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5 of 17 Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

App shortcuts and widgets

Starting with Android Nougat, you could long-press on an app icon to use app shortcuts for common tasks. With Oreo, the look of shortcuts has been refined, and you can now access an app's widgets from the shortcut menu as well as its info screen. 

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6 of 17 Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

New settings menu

The Settings app has once again been redesigned. The slide-out menu is gone, and settings have been recategorized. This is going to take some getting used to, no doubt.

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Smart text select

Instead of fiddling with text selection tools, Google is adding smart text select to Android Oreo. 

Basically, Oreo will identify things like addresses or phone numbers on its own. Double-tap the text to auto-highlight what you need to copy, or use the new app shortcut next to the Copy button to speed up the interaction.

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8 of 17 Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Scanning apps for safety

To reassure users, Google is making its security measures more prominent throughout Android Oreo with Google Play Protect.

This menu is found in the Settings app under Security, where you can view how often apps are scanned and when they were last scanned. Presumably, this section will also help you deal with an app Oreo deems unsafe.

Google Play Protect is not just available for Oreo users, with Google recently announcing availability across all Android devices. 

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9 of 17 Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Autoenable Wi-Fi

If you disable Wi-Fi when you're away from home, you'll never have to remember to turn it back on again.

Android Oreo offers the option to have Wi-Fi turn back on when you're near a known, safe Wi-Fi network, such as your home.

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10 of 17 Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

New battery settings

Android Oreo battery usage stats are getting a little more granular.

When you view an app's usage stats, it now includes how much battery was due to active use or in the background.

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11 of 17 Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Night Light slider

You can adjust the intensity of the blue light filter when using Android's Night Light mode.

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12 of 17 Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Change the shape of app icons

You can now adjust the shape of app icons without installing a theme or launcher. Currently, there are four different options (left to right): square, rounded square, squircle and teardrop.

Find the setting with a long-press on the home screen and tap Settings > Change icon shape.

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13 of 17 Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Persistent notifications get smaller

Persistent notifications are annoying, but part of Android. With Oreo, those notifications will be less prominent.

You can still view the entire notification with a tap, but by default, the notification will be minimized.

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14 of 17 Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

New Quick Settings look

Quick Settings tiles get a new look and icons yet again.

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15 of 17 Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Notification Dots

Notification badges aren't just for iOS now. Starting with Oreo, Notification Dots appear on an app icon when you have a pending alert. Hate the idea? Yes, you can disable them.

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16 of 17 Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Autofill passwords... in apps

Google is extending its autofill tech beyond Chrome and into apps. This screenshot is from Snapchat, where I was prompted to let Google fill in my credentials and log me into the app. Password managing apps, such as 1Password, will also have the option to support autofill within apps.

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17 of 17 Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Snooze Notifications on Android Oreo

This is pretty cool -- with Android Oreo, you can snooze notifications with a quick swipe and tap. If you have a text message or email you want to deal with later, swipe to the right on the notification until you see the clock icon. Tap on the clock, select the amount of time you want to snooze it for and then go back to what you were doing. 

Read more about Android Oreo here.

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