The release of the operating system Android 8.0 Oreo became a turning point in the history of Samsung mobile devices, bringing not just cosmetic changes, but a fundamental redesign of the system architecture. Users of the flagship Galaxy S and Note lines, as well as mid-segment A models, have access to completely new capabilities for managing resources and interacting with notifications. This update corrected many system bugs of the previous version of Android 7.0 Nougat, making the smartphone work smoother and more predictable.
However, the introduction of a new version of the software on devices of the South Korean giant has its own unique features, since the shell Samsung Experience (later transformed into One UI) leaves its mark on the standard Google interface. It is important for device owners to understand the difference between “pure” Android and what Samsung offers after the update. We will analyze in detail all the key changes that you will notice immediately after installing the firmware.
Fundamental changes in the operation of notifications
The most noticeable change for the average user was the complete reworking of the notification system. Android 8 on Samsung introduced a mechanism notification channelsthat gives unprecedented control over what appears on the lock screen. Now each application can create several categories of notifications, and you can disable them selectively without blocking the entire application.
Previously, if you were annoyed by news from a service, you had to turn off all notifications from it or delete the app. Now a list of categories appears in the settings of a specific application: “Marketing”, “News”, “Transactions” or “Chats”. You can mute advertising mailings, but leave important messages about payments active. This requires careful initial setup, but the result is worth it.
The Notification Dots feature has also appeared. If there is a small colored circle on the app icon in the menu, it means there is an unread message. A long press on the icon allows you to quickly view the contents of the notification without going inside the app. For many users, this has become a more elegant replacement for traditional badges.
- 🔔 Full control over alert categories within one application
- 🔵 Visual dots on icons instead of intrusive numbers
- 🚫 Ability to group minor notifications in a drop-down list
⚠️ Attention: Some older applications may not support new notification channels immediately after the update is released. In this case, they will be displayed in the “Other” category, and you won’t be able to manage them in detail until the developer updates the application itself.
Battery optimization and background processes
One of the main technical goals of the Android Oreo release was to reduce battery consumption by background applications. The system has implemented strict restrictions on what apps can do when they are not visible on the screen. The mechanism background restrictions automatically suspends services that the user has not opened for a long time.
This is especially true for owners of Samsung smartphones with capacious batteries who want to extend the operating time without recharging. The system now allocates processor resources more intelligently, preventing “hungry” applications from waking up the device without a good reason. For the user, this means that the smartphone heats up less in the pocket, and the charge is consumed more economically.
However, there is an important nuance for those who use specific software. Messengers, sleep trackers, or smart home apps may stop receiving real-time data unless you add them to the exclusion list. You need to manually check the battery settings for critical apps to ensure they are running correctly.
New graphs and statistics have appeared in the developer options and battery menu, showing which processes have been limited by the system. This helps identify hidden energy hogs that were previously disguised as system services.
If an important application stops sending notifications after an update, go to Settings → Applications → Select an application → Battery and set the mode to "Optimized" or "Do not optimize" depending on your needs.
New multitasking and Picture-in-Picture
The Picture-in-Picture (PiP) feature, previously only available on tablets and Android TVs, has finally arrived on Samsung smartphones with an update to version 8.0. Now you can minimize the video player or navigation map to a small floating window and continue using other applications. This radically changes the scenarios for using the device.
For example, you can watch a video broadcast or lesson in a small window, while simultaneously chatting in a messenger or viewing a social network feed. The window can be moved around the screen, changed its size, or quickly minimized to the edge of the screen so that it does not interfere, but remains accessible with one tap.
Support for this function depends not only on the version of Android, but also on the specific application. YouTube, Google Maps, VLC and many video players support this mode out of the box. For other applications, developers need to implement the appropriate API in their code.
| Application type | PiP support | Examples | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video services | Full | YouTube, Netflix, VLC | |||
| Navigation | Full | Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator | Video calls | Partial | Skype, Duo, Messenger |
| Games | Rare | Depends on the developer |
⚠️ Attention: On some Samsung models, the Picture in Picture feature may be disabled by default in Accessibility settings or require activation in the developer menu. Check the “Additional features” section in the system settings.
How to activate PiP on Samsung?
Go to Settings → Applications → Special access → Picture in Picture. Make sure the switch is turned on for the apps you need, such as YouTube or Chrome.
Boot speeds and Project Treble
Under the hood of Android 8 lies technology Project Treblethat marks the biggest change to Android architecture ever. For Samsung users, this means a potential faster time to receive future security updates and new versions of Android. Previously, manufacturers had to rewrite huge chunks of code for each new update due to tight coupling with hardware drivers.
Now the system interface is separated from the low-level hardware implementation. This allows Samsung to test and release patches faster without affecting the underlying processor and modem drivers. Although the user does not see this process directly, the speed of the device at startup can increase due to optimization of initialization processes.
The cold boot time of the smartphone has been reduced by an average of 30-50% compared to Android 7.0. This is especially noticeable on devices with eMMC flash memory, where read speeds are not as fast as modern UFS. The system loads the necessary services faster, ignoring those that are not required at startup.
Project Treble is not a user-visible feature, but an architectural change that ensures that your Samsung will receive security updates faster and more stable in the future.
Security and Google Play Protect
Digital security issues in Android 8 have reached a new level level thanks to service integration Google Play Protect. This system runs in the background and automatically scans all installed applications, even those downloaded from third-party sources, and not just from the official Play Market.
Every day, millions of applications are checked for malicious code, Trojans and spyware. If the system detects suspicious activity, it immediately notifies the user and offers to remove the dangerous software. For the Samsung ecosystem, this was an important addition to its own Knox antivirus solution.
The work with access rights has also improved. The user can now see which applications are using the permission to install unknown sources and revoke it at any time. This creates an additional barrier to the accidental installation of viruses when downloading files from the browser.
- 🛡️ Automatic scanning of 50+ billion applications daily
- 🚫 Blocking the installation of applications with known vulnerabilities
- 👁️ Transparent control over permissions for third-party installation Software
⚠️ Attention: Google Play Protect may trigger false alarms for some specific utilities or modified versions of popular apps. If you are sure that the file is safe, you can add it to exceptions, but do this only in extreme cases.
Visual changes and adaptive icons
The update brought support adaptive icons. App developers can now upload icons that automatically change their shape depending on the user's chosen theme or launcher style. On Samsung it looks especially organic thanks to deep integration with theming.
Icons can be round, square, in the form of a drop or a tear, and the system itself trims off unnecessary parts of the image so that it fits into a given outline. This creates a more uniform and aesthetic appearance of the desktop, eliminating the visual noise of disparate icon shapes.
In addition, the system has new emoji that comply with Unicode 10.0 standards. Their design has become more detailed and modern. For many users this is a small thing, but in correspondence the new emoticons look much more expressive and clearer than their angular predecessors from Android 7.
The design of the quick settings menu has also changed. The switches have become more compact, and some functions, such as Do Not Disturb or Data Saver, have received advanced settings directly from the notification shade. The interface has become cleaner, unnecessary dividers and shadows have been removed.
☑️ Check after update
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to roll back from Android 8 to Android 7 on Samsung?
Officially, Samsung does not provide the ability to roll back the Android version through the phone settings. The only way is to flash the device through the Odin app using the old version of the factory firmware, which requires unlocking the bootloader and can lead to loss of warranty and data.
Why did the phone begin to discharge quickly after the update?
In the first 2-3 days after the update, the system indexes files and optimizes applications in the background, which consumes a lot of energy. This is a normal process. If the problem persists for more than a week, check the battery statistics and disable background activity for rarely used apps.
Some widgets disappeared after the update, what should I do?
Some widgets may not have been updated by the developers for the new version of the Android 8 API. Try removing the widget from the desktop, go to the widgets menu, (long press) on the application icon and check if there are widgets available there. If not, update the application via the Play Market.
How to enable developer mode in Android 8 on Samsung?
Go to Settings → Phone information → Software information. Click 7 times in a row on the item Build number. After this, a new section “Developer Options” will appear in the main settings menu, where you can configure animations and background processes.
Do all Samsung models support the Picture-in-Picture function?
The function is available on all devices that have received the official update to Android 8.0 Oreo. However, on some budget models with a stripped-down Experience Home shell, this function can be software disabled by the manufacturer to save RAM resources.