Samsung releases second Galaxy S8 Oreo beta firmware (Update: Second beta pulled in US due to major network bug)
Update (11/15): Samsung had begun rolling out the second Oreo beta firmware to Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus devices in the US, but it has since been pulled. Samsung has issued a beta notice to program subscribers stating that it has “identified an issue of “com.android.phone” crash”.
This tallies with a slew of Reddit users that are complaining that their devices have stopped receiving network signal after installing the latest beta firmware.
This appears to only impact unlocked devices, or those on Sprint or T-Mobile. It’s unclear what the cause of the fairly significant bug is at this time, but Samsung is already working on a fix. Some beta program users affected by the bug have found that clearing the storage data for the Phone app solves the issue, although this isn’t a guaranteed fix (thanks, SamMobile).
Original story (11/10): Samsung started rolling out the Android 8.0 Oreo beta program for the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus just last week, introducing the latest Android software to its flagship phones. This features Samsung’s Experience 9.0 user interface and gives select users in the US, UK, and South Korea, the chance to play with an early version of Oreo before the final software arrives in the next few months.
Now, Samsung is rolling out the second Oreo beta firmware in the UK. The firmware comes with version number G950FXXU1ZQK4, reports Sam Mobile, and brings with it several new features and improvements.
According to the changelog, the Samsung Launcher and Samsung DeX interface should be more stable with the latest build, while new clock themes have been made available for the Always On display.
Meanwhile, users can also now adjust the transparency of the notifications to suit their preference, and Samsung’s Smart View has been upgraded to let your smartphone display go dark when you’re mirroring it on the TV — something that should be handy for those who use the feature.
These improvements arrive alongside the October security patches, and many bugs have also been fixed, as you might expect, since the first beta.
To get Oreo on your Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus, you’ll need to sign up for the beta program via the Samsung Members or Samsung+ app, but note that it’s only open to Sprint, T-Mobile and unlocked users in the US.
Since the new firmware is out in the UK, it should be arriving Stateside shortly. It actually may have started seeding already: let us know in the comments if you’ve seen it!
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