Newsletter
Shortly after AT&T began rolling out the Android Oreo update for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, it appears that two additional US-based carriers are ready to do the same for their Note 8 variants, namely Sprint and Verizon. Although official changelogs have not yet been published on the official Sprint and Verizon support pages pertaining to the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, several Reddit users have confirmed they have received the update and shared screenshots to prove it.
In the case of Verizon, it appears that the Android Oreo update introduces Samsung’s Device Maintenance functionality to the Galaxy Note 8, which allows users to review device information and performance parameters in more depth, and optimize the user experience with a single tap of a button. Generally speaking, the Android Oreo update for both Sprint’s and Verizon’s Note 8 variants should provide better performance and stability, improved battery life, as well as a variety of new features such as Picture-in-Picture mode for running two applications at the same time, Notification Dots, and Autofill. Most of the UI changes will be introduced as part of a new version of Samsung’s firmware, namely Samsung Experience 9.0, which is already available on newer devices such as the Galaxy S9 flagships. However, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 should also benefit from a few software improvements pertaining specifically to the S Pen stylus, which remains exclusive to the OEM’s Galaxy Note series.
Judging by the screenshots shared by the Samsung community, the latest update weighs a hefty 1.32GB and as a result, it’s recommended to download and apply the software while making sure that the smartphone has a fully charged battery and is connected to an active Wi-Fi network. As usual, the release should take place over-the-air, but seeing how the official changelog has yet to be published by Sprint and Verizon at the time of this writing, the update’s availability will likely expand slowly and gradually over the course of the coming weeks. Usually this kind of unconfirmed release could have been labeled as an accidental early rollout by a carrier, but seeing how AT&T already launched the update on its Galaxy Note 8 variant, and because the latest news involves both Sprint and Verizon, it’s likelier that the aforementioned carriers’ support pages haven’t yet caught up with the actual events and will probably do so in the coming days.
