Category: Nokia 8

After being in beta for just a few weeks, HMD Global has released the Android Oreo 8.1 update for the Nokia 8.  The news of the release came from the company’s Chief Product Officer, Juho Sarvikas, on Twitter:

We are rolling out #AndroidOreo 8.1 on #Nokia8 ! Get the sweetest Android to date #Nokia8 #Nokiamobile pic.twitter.com/3pRlNuPIpe

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) February 13, 2018

The news of the release was a bit of a surprise given that the open beta for the 8.1 build only started in late January.

Owners of the Nokia 8 will want to start checking for an update on the device today.  HMD Global, the parent company of Nokia, has released a new update that bringing the recently released February Android Security Update patch to the device.  The update is 86.9MB in size, so it is quite small and indicates that essentially it is the security patch a little else for the Nokia 8.

If you have a Nokia 8, you can check for the update by going to Settings>Other>Software Update on the phone.  It has just been released so it may take a day or two before it hits all devices.

Nokia has opened up a beta program for Nokia 8 owners to give the upcoming Android Oreo build a test drive.  The news came via Twitter from HMD Global’s Juho Sarvikas.  Mr. Sarvikas is the company’s Chief Product Officer.

Announcing Nokia phones beta labs! Be the first to test #AndroidOreo on #Nokia8 (physical Oreos not included!) https://t.co/91uhqstnnm pic.twitter.com/GNiNrK31B0

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) October 25, 2017

As a general rule, once these types of major updates hit the public beta realm, they are pretty well baked. But, the keyword here is “beta”.  There are likely still bugs to be found and other issues so if you are not comfortable with that, don’t download the update.  For those that do and find it unstable to the point of needing to revert back to Nougat 7.1.1, Nokia has confirmed that you will be able to do it.

Full details on how to join the beta can be found on the Nokia Beta Labs site.

HMD Global, the company that owns the rights to the Nokia name, has confirmed that all of their current devices will be getting updated to Android P when it is available in 2018.  It is a bold statement given that the company is just now starting to roll out Android Oreo to the Nokia 8, their flagship.

The announcement came during the Nokia 8 launch event held in the Philippines yesterday and it was made clear it would be not just for the 8, but for the Nokia 3, 5 and 6 too.

A few weeks back, HMD’s Juho Sarvikas tweeted that the entire Nokia lineup would be getting updated to Android Oreo in late 2017 through early 2018.  Now Mr. Sarvikas, the Chief Product Officer for the company, has tweeted a couple of images of the Nokia 8 being updated to Oreo.

We are on it @nokiamobile . @Android #Oreo maturing nicely on #Nokia8 , will release when perfect. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/wPxEGA4rJn

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) September 16, 2017

While it would be great to see this update out for everyone, it is quite encouraging to see Nokia being transparent about their update process and the fact they actually have a running beta for their flagship device.

Good news! HMD Global has confirmed that all of the Android running Nokia devices – the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6 and Nokia 8 – will be receiving the Android Oreo update.

The new came from Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas via Twitter over the weekend.

All of our smartphones will upgrade to Oreo, Nokia 3 included. No comments yet on timing so that I don’t get into trouble 😊.

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) September 2, 2017

This announcement is great new for every Nokia owner, especially those who have the lower priced Nokia 3.  Often, manufactures will not update their entry level devices to the next major version of Android in favor of focusing in on their midrange and flagship devices.