With Oreo, Android Gets Even Sweeter

The last big visual overhaul to Android dates all the way back to Android 5.0, with the rollout of Material Design.

- Max Eddy

THE STATE OF ANDROID

Since then, Google has focused on honing the edge of the world’s most popular mobile OS. And that’s OK. With so many handset makers and carriers to contend with, smart and subtle updates that keep Android relevant are more important than the kind of tent-pole features that appear with each iteration of Apple’s iOS.

But Apple’s approach has the advantage of setting a narrative. IOS 11, which drops later this year, is focused on workflows and getting more done on mobile, particularly on the iPad Pro. It’s exciting (for iPad Pro owners, at least) and easy to explain. What, then, is Oreo? And what is Android, after eight major iterations?

To me, Android has always been about putting the user at the center of the experience, while Apple puts the operating system at the center. You interact with iOS—it’s beautiful, slick, and, admittedly, very smart. But it’s inflexible, requiring you use it as intended by Apple. Android, on the other hand, is less elegant but provides you with many avenues to use it however you like.

The example I often reach for to describe the difference between the two operating systems is the Settings menu. There is one way to change system settings on iPhone: in the Settings app. Android has a Settings app as well, but you can access your phone’s controls from shortcuts on the desktop, or by pulling down the notification tray. You can use one, all, or some of these, depending on what makes sense for you.