Google releases final version Android 8.1 for Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

Google has released the final version of Android 8.1 for its Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones. The software update comes in via an over-the-air update, bringing the beta program to an end. The Android 8.1 update includes support for Visual Core.

Android Police, among others, reports that the software is arriving at owners of the Pixel and Pixel 2 XL. According to the information provided by Google with the over-the-air update, the software version is fixed at OPM1.171019.011. The update installs the final version of Android 8.1 on the smartphones, and also ensures that users of the previously released beta software will run regular software again. This means that the beta program will come to an end.

The Android 8.1 update includes the Visual Core update, as it turned out when Google released the second beta version. The Visual Core is a separate soc in the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL and was previously inaccessible. With the software update, developers can take advantage of this soc, which serves to perform machine learning tasks, and apps can also capture HDR+ images using the Visual Core. Furthermore, Android 8.1 offers only minor improvements, such as clearer battery information about Bluetooth accessories.

Earlier this week, Google already released the final version of Android 8.1, and also the Go variant of Android. This is a stripped-down version of the mobile operating system, which can run on smartphones with 512MB to 1GB of ram. This is possible because Google has implemented optimizations that make the software run more efficiently.