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Samsung resumed the rollout of its Android 8.0 Oreo-based firmware for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, with some users in Germany now confirming they have started receiving the stable build of the software on Thursday. The development comes shortly after the deployment of the original Oreo build was halted due to technical issues that caused random reboots on select smartphone models. The cause of the bug remains undisclosed but the problem has presumably been remedied as Samsung previously said it will recompile a new version of the firmware as soon as it manages to address the reboots.
The Galaxy S8 is now receiving the software version G950FXXU1CRB7, whereas the package that’s rolling out to the Galaxy S8 Plus is identified by the build number G955XXU1CRB7. The update is approximately 530MB in size on both devices and will presumably take several weeks until it becomes available to all eligible devices in Germany and other parts of Europe. The South Korean original equipment manufacturer is expected to start deploying the same update in other regions by spring. Owners of carrier-branded variants of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will have to wait for their mobile service provider of choice to vet and modify the update as it deems fit before pushing it out. Samsung Experience 9.0 based on the latest major iteration of Google’s operating system doesn’t support Project Treble on the company’s 2017 flagships, with that particular functionality being expected to be added to the devices next year with Android P that will reportedly make Treble support mandatory.
The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus scheduled to be unveiled on Sunday should run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box and hence adhere to Google’s Project Treble requirements. In theory, the feature should make the handsets easier to develop for and accelerate Samsung’s efforts to push out security updates to the phablets. The Seoul-based tech giant has yet to officially confirm it resumed the rollout of the new software version but should do so shortly, perhaps even detailing its deployment roadmap while it’s at it. The company’s next pair of Android flagships is expected to be released on a global level on March 16.
