Android Oreo 8.1 is here, and it's boring but important
The new and improved Android operating system, Android 8.1, is finally here.
The update introduces a ton of new developer tools that incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Most users won't notice much of a difference, but developers will now have a bunch of new commands at their disposal.
The most important new tool is the Neural Networks API, which will help developers incorporate machine learning into their apps.
With the new API, developers can train apps to do things like classify images, predict user behavior, and respond to queries.
Additional new commands will help developers improve autofill functionality. Your apps may soon show more detailed views of what information will be saved for autofill purposes, and will less frequently display invalid autofill options.
The release includes a number of smaller optimizations as well. Apps can now only make a notification alert once per second, where before they could make multiple in quick succession.
Additionally, developers can now direct their apps to automatically take a specific action each time they arrive at a webpage that Google has marked as unsafe.
The release is bundled with the release of Android Oreo (Go Edition), a data-saving, storage-saving Android operating system optimized for entry-level smartphones.
Android 8.1's sources are now available on the Android Open Source Project, and the update will roll out to supported Pixel and Nexus devices next week.
Monica wrote for Mashable's Tech section with a focus on retail, internet of things, and the intersections of technology and social justice. She holds a degree in creative writing from Brown University, and has previously written for Dow Jones Media, the New York Post, Yahoo Finance, and others. In her free time, she can be found attempting to cook Asian food, buying board games, and looking for new hobbies.
