Google releases Android Oreo 8.1 for Google Pixel and Nexus devices

The new and improved Android operating system, Android 8.1, is finally here.

The update introduces a ton of new developer tools that incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning.

SEE ALSO: Google just launched a new version of Android for low-budget phones

Most users won't notice much of a difference, but developers will now have a bunch of new commands at their disposal.

The most important new tool is the Neural Networks API, which will help developers incorporate machine learning into their apps.

With the new API, developers can train apps to do things like classify images, predict user behavior, and respond to queries.

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Additional new commands will help developers improve autofill functionality. Your apps may soon show more detailed views of what information will be saved for autofill purposes, and will less frequently display invalid autofill options.

The release includes a number of smaller optimizations as well. Apps can now only make a notification alert once per second, where before they could make multiple in quick succession.

Additionally, developers can now direct their apps to automatically take a specific action each time they arrive at a webpage that Google has marked as unsafe.

SEE ALSO: Google just launched Datally, an app to save your data

The release is bundled with the release of Android Oreo (Go Edition), a data-saving, storage-saving Android operating system optimized for entry-level smartphones.

Android 8.1's sources are now available on the Android Open Source Project, and the update will roll out to supported Pixel and Nexus devices next week.

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