NEW YORK, Aug 22 — As rumored, Google has named the latest version of its Android mobile operating system after the well-known American chocolate biscuit brand, Oreo. The upgraded software offers a wealth of new features that users of Android phones will discover in the months to come.

In line with a tradition established by KitKat, Lollipop, Marshmallow and Nougat, the new version of Android (8.0) has been christened Oreo. The majority of its new features were already announced at the Google I/O developers conference in spring 2017.

Android Oreo is equipped with a customisable system for managing notifications, which can be grouped by type of application to facilitate access.

Another innovation is the picture-in-picture mode, which enables users to participate in a video conference, displayed in a floating window, while surfing the web or accessing other applications. Also new is a feature to limit the power usage of background applications, which will make them less of a drain on battery life. Lastly, a new autofill function will allow users to automatically fill in text fields when accessing services or making payments.

The new Android will be faster but also more secure. As well as enabling users to locate different devices connected to their accounts, Google Play Protect will regularly scan all applications for potential threats to system security.

Google has added more than 60 new emojis that will no doubt be welcomed by power users who were waiting for ideograms for, among others, Santa Claus, a slice of bacon and a unicorn.

Android Oreo will be progressively deployed on compatible handsets through this fall and winter.

Discover Android Oreo: android.com/oreo — AFP-Relaxnews