Android 8.0 Oreo beta now out for Essential Phone

Andy Rubin backed Essential has finally started beta testing Android Oreo for Essential Phone.

The Android Oreo beta is now available for download for the Essential Phone, from the company's developer website. It is listed as OPM1.170911.130, and you'll need to download and manually install it using ADB. OTA is not available for the moment.

However, to get access to the download page, you will need to enter you email and agree to the terms.

Since this a pre-release build, Oreo beta users will see ‘Increased battery drain with Bluetooth enabled’ and ‘Android Auto compatibility issues with some vehicles.’. Having said that, Essential will have a fix for these issues in the final version of the update.

It has also published factory images as well, so you'll be able to revert to Nougat from Oreo beta, if you find problem with the build. The factory images can also be flashed using ADB.

Essential has also provided instructions for how to download, sideload, and flash the update 
Download Build : Essential Phone Oreo Beta 1 (OPM1.170911.130) - download 

Before Sideloading: 

Caution: Before updating, backup any personal data on your device—so you can recover it if you encounter an issue.

To sideload a device using the image below, you’ll need the latest ADB tool. Don't forget to either add adb to your PATH environment variable or change into the directory containing the executable.

Also, set up USB access for your device, as described in Run Apps on a Hardware Device. 

Finally, check to see if there’s a pending OTA update for your device. Tap Settings > About phone > System updates, then tap Check for update. If your system is up-to-date, you can continue with the sideload. If not, update your device before continuing. 

How to Sideload Image:

• Download the appropriate update image to your computer
• Verify the checksum of the image. The OTA mechanism has a built-in validation feature, but verifying will save you some time if the file is incomplete. The last portion of the filename is the first 8 digits of its SHA-256 checksum; the full SHA-256 checksum is also shown next to the download link.
• Make sure USB debugging is enabled, then execute: adb reboot recovery
• If you're unable to use ADB to reboot into recovery, you can use the key combination for your device. Then, navigate to the Recovery option by pressing the Volume-down button. Once Recovery is highlighted, press the Power button to confirm.

Your device is now in Recovery mode. An Android logo with red exclamation mark should appear on screen.

1. Hold the Power button, then press the Volume-Up button one time. When the menu appears, select Apply update from ADB.
2. Run the following command: adb devices. Then check that your device shows up with “sideload” next to its name
3. Run the following command: adb sideload ota_file.zip where ota_file.zip is the name of the file you downloaded and verified
4. Once the update finishes, select Reboot system now to reboot your phone

For security, you should disable USB debugging when the device is not being updated.

Source | Via

Kaiser Bey

Kaiser is a tech enthusiast who likes to write, read and talk about tech. He dreams of going to Mars and never come back. We hope that you find his posts on AndroGuider helpful and informative