5 Hidden Features Of Android 8.0 Oreo You Should Be Using

Not all the cool features get top billing.

- Ryan Whitwam

Google is pushing Android 8.0 Oreo to Nexus and Pixel devices as device makers scramble to get their phones updated. Google’s devices will be the only ones running the new software, at least for a while. What’s this Oreo update all about, anyway? Everyone knows about the big stuff, like picture-in-picture and autofill apps, but a lot more is going on if you dig deeper. Here are six awesome hidden Oreo features to get you started.

1. WIDGETS VIA APP SHORTCUTS

Google has changed the location and appearance of the home screen widget picker several times, and Oreo brings yet another alteration. This one might make using widgets much easier, though. All of an app’s widgets are accessible with a long-press on the app icon. This works in the app drawer as well as on the home screen.

The long-press menu is the same one that shows pending notifications via notification dots, one of the high profile changes to Android 8.0. Less well-known is the icon that looks like four small squares. That’s the widget shortcut. It’s at the top of the pop-up for apps that have launcher shortcuts, but it has a full line with a label on those that do not. Tap the icon (wherever it may be), and a panel appears at the bottom of the screen with just the widget or widgets for that app. You can long-press and drag any of them onto your home screen.

2. ENFORCE BACKGROUND LIMITS ON APPS