In the previous month, Essential had released the first beta build of the Android 8.0 Oreo for Essential Phone users. Today, the company has rolled out the second beta build of Oreo with new features and enhancements.
The first Oreo beta build came with badge notifications for individual apps, a revamped Settings menu and plenty of background enhancements that increased the overall speed and performance of the device. The second Oreo beta includes features like smart text selection and picture-in-picture. It also equipped with numerous bug fixes as well as performance improvements.
One should be aware of the fact that since it is a beta build, it will contain some bugs. The second Android Oreo beta built is available as OTA (over-the-air) update to all the users of the Essential Phone who have installed the first Oreo beta build.
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In order to install the first build, Essential Phone owners need to register for the Essential Oreo Beta Program on a PC through this link by entering their email address. The page will redirect the users to download page that will contain the ZIP file for the beta update. It can be saved to any desired location on the PC. The downloaded file needs to be manually sideloaded on the phone to install the Oreo beta.
The company has confirmed that installing the beta build of Android Oreo will not void the Essential Limited Warranty rights. For customers who did not purchase the phone through Essential, it advises them to check whether installing or downloading the update would affect the warranty.
In September, Essential had confirmed that the Android 8.0 Oreo update will be arriving to Essential Phone users in the next month or two. Now that the company has released two beta versions of the Android 8.0 Oreo update, it appears that the arrival of the stable version is close at hand.
The Essential Phone was introduced with a price tag of $699 earlier this year. However, the smartphone is now available with a reduced price tag of $449 on Best Buy.
