Android Oreo Beta 2 Update Aims For Essential PH-1

This afternoon the folks at Essential revealed they were sending an Android Oreo Beta 2 software build to their PH-1 phone. This device will get a collection of new features as a result, and all users will have access to said update. Just so long as an Essential Phone user is part of the Oreo Beta 1 club, they're in for the next update.

This update for the Essential Phone PH-1 brings software build OPM1.170911.213 to the mix. This update brings bug fixes, as all good software updates do. This update also brings powers like Picture-in-Picture mode and smarter text selection.

Developers at Essential wrote in their update notes that this build has been known to increase battery drain on the PH-1 device when Bluetooth is enabled. They also took note that Android Auto doesn't always work in every vehicle that'd normally work when this update is installed.

As yet there's no word of anything else major going wrong with this software build. Of course it's only been a few minutes since the release of this software, so major oddities could still go down. Users of the Beta software build should report any mishaps to Beta Feedback at Essential.

This update can be had by heading over to the Beta Builds at Essential to tap the download. After entering in your email to agree to the terms involved in the download, the download can be had. The download requires ADB and some basic developer knowledge – but you'll be fine!

Now that the Essential Phone is closer to a software build and camera quality that's more in-line with the cost of the phone, we're nearly ready to post our full review. You can have a peek at our first look at the phone – at launch time – to get a basic idea of what we judged it to be at the beginning.