For everything the Samsung Galaxy S8 offers, it still lacks Google’s latest operating system, Android Oreo. But that’s changing today, if only by a little.
Samsung is extending the beta of Samsung Experience 9.0 to owners of the S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus in the US, UK and South Korea. Yep, the beta. While a growing list of companies are preparing the final release of the new, improved software, Samsung is holding off the official launch of this software until the debut of “the next flagship Galaxy device”. That could be at least another five months.
Nevertheless, any movement toward adopting the latest software is a good move from the smartphone giant. Here’s how to download the preview software right now.
Steps to getting Android Oreo on S8 and S8 Plus
Updating your Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus to the Android Oreo beta requires a number of steps, some of which are contingent on you meeting Samsung’s oddly specific requirements.
- You'll need a Samsung account set up
- Access the Galaxy beta program via
- the Samsung Members or Samsung+ app or from within the Galaxy Apps pre-installed on each phone.
- In the US, you must have purchased the phone from either Sprint or T-Mobile, or have an unlocked S8 phone loaded up with a SIM card from one of those carriers.
- In the UK, the rules are a little less strict. You just need an unlocked device, one that isn’t locked-down by your operator.
If you meet the standards to be a beta tester, you’ll receive the download, which will replace the Android Nougat install that your device came loaded with out of the box. That being said, make sure that all of your valued data is backed up, as Samsung claims that unexpected errors may occur during your use with the new experience.
Having trouble gaining access to the beta program? Samsung is opening the beta to users in rounds, so the rollout won’t be sudden. This is for the better, so that the company can fix any glaring issues, should they arise, before they spread to the masses.
