Firmware News: Newly Released Phones Will Need to Run Android 10 After January 31, and More

This week, on our weekly news roundup: Galaxy S10 is set to receive Android 10 next week, Google requires every new device after January 31 to run Android 10 (Or the manufacturer won't be able to include Google services), and more.

What's New This Week?

Google

• Every device that's launched after January 31 will be required to run Android 10

HMD Global

• Nokia 8.1 is now receiving the latest version of Android

OnePlus

• Every device after the OnePlus 5 will get the latest version of Android

Samsung

• Various devices start receiving the October security patch including the Note 9, Note 10 and Note 10+, Note 10+ 5G, S10, J4+ and J8, along with the Galaxy A80 and A8+ (2018)
• One UI 2.0 beta changelog lists a bunch of new features
• Android 10 Beta will be ready for the Note 10 on October 21

Google

Android 10

According to our sources, starting from January 31, Google will only allow manufacturers to use their services if the device is running Android 10. Do keep in mind that this seems to only concern newly launched devices. So, phones that are already out will not be affected by this.

The same thing applies to numerous phones in China. After all, most of them come without Google services anyway. A very good example of that is the Huawei Mate 30 which comes without Google Play or any other Google service for that matter.

The reason that Google is doing is this is to ensure that they'll be able to push out updates as fast as possible. And it makes sense. After all, it's not unusual for us to report that certain devices are receiving a security update that's 2 or even 3 months old. Not to mention all the models that are more or less abandoned.

During the early days, it'll still be possible for a phone to come without Android 10 and still support Google services. But, as time goes on, every new device that comes out will be forced to include the latest version of Android.

HMD Global

Nokia 8.1

Since a couple of days ago, the Nokia 8.1 is officially the first Nokia device to receive Android 10!

Apart from general improvements and a new version of Android, this update also brings a few Android 10 goodies.  We're talking about improved privacy, the new gesture navigation system, Focus Mode, Pure Dark Theme, Family Link, and more.

Nokia 7.1 and Nokia 9 PureView are also expected to receive the latest version of Android in the next couple of minds. But, we still don't have any exact dates.

Juho Sarvikas didn't mention any details on when we can expect to see this update first. But, we assume that it's going to go global in the upcoming weeks anyway.

That being said, if you end up receiving it, do let us know about it in the comments section down below!

OnePlus

Various Devices

During the launch of the OnePlus 7T Pro, Carl Pei started by talking about the Oxygen OS and mentioned that all devices from the OnePlus 5 and onwards are going to get upgraded to Android 10.

To be more specific, that probably includes the OnePlus 5, 5T, OnePlus 6 and 6T, OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro, and obviously the OnePlus 7T Pro.

As for the timeline, we're expecting to see this update on the 5 and 5T coming somewhere during this month while the OnePlus 6 and 6T will probably have to wait until the second quarter of 2020!

At the moment, there is no beta program for the OnePlus 5. But, chances are that we're going to see one in the upcoming weeks.

Samsung

Various Devices

Ever since October came in, Samsung has been rolling out the security update for various devices pretty much non-stop. Last week, we saw it being delivered on the Galaxy A30, A50, J2 Core, Galaxy A20e, and S10 5G.

This week, it's the turn of the Note 9, Note 10 and Note 10+, Note 10+ 5G, J4+, and J8, along with the Galaxy A80 and A8+ (2018)!

Some of these updates offer extra features as well. But, most of the above-mentioned devices are only getting the security update without any other additions.

To be more specific:

1. Note 9: No new features. The update is currently available in France, Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal, Serbia, Baltic, and Switzerland
2. S10 series: No new features. The update is currently available in Austria, Germany, Poland, Spain, UK, France, and Serbia
3. S10 5G: Improvements to the camera quality and a fix for the sound of the keyboard. It's currently available in the UK
4. Note 10 and Note 10+: Improves camera quality and fixes the sound of the keyboard. The update is currently available in Spain for the Note 10 and in France for the Note 10+
5. Galaxy J4+ and J8: No new features. The update is currently being rolled out in Portugal, Romania, Spain,  UK, Hungary, Ireland, and the Netherlands for the J4+, while the J8 is only getting it in Brazil

Do keep in mind that we found these updates anywhere from a few hours ago to as much as 4 days. In that time frame, we wouldn't be surprised if some of them have started reaching more countries than those that we've mentioned.

One UI 2.o

The beta version of One UI 2.0 with Android 10 on top of it is supposed to come out for the Galaxy S10 in mid-October. But, it seems like someone managed to get his hands on it earlier and this gives us an early look on what to expect.

The first thing that you'll likely notice is the huge size of 1.9 gigs. But, that's to be expected. After all, the update contains a new version of Android and a few new features on top of it.

That being said, the visual differences almost non-existent since One UI 2.0 is heavily based on the first version and is by no means a UI overhaul.

One of the new, somewhat big features that it offers is Android 10's full-gesture navigation mode. Other than that, there are also a few smaller changes like the Device Care's UI, small general improvements, and more.

To be more specific with Power Share, you can now set any percentage limit between 30 and 90 percent where the phone will no longer use the feature at that point.

Other than that, most of the native apps have been updated with the contacts getting a "Trash" option. This is more or less similar to the "Recycle bin" of Windows 10. If you're not familiar with it, it allows you to delete something while still being able to restore it later on.

The current time limit is 15 days. But, chances are that an option to adjust that will come in the future anyway.

That's all for now. We're expecting to find out more about this in the upcoming weeks. So, stay tuned!

Galaxy Note 10

According to our sources and Samsung customer care, the Note 10 is expected to start receiving the beta version of Android 10 on October 21!

To be more specific, that came from Germany's customer support. So, there is a chance that this is only for Germany. But, we suppose that it's either going to go global soon. Or that it's at least going to become available for other parts of Europe as well.

The very same release was supposed to come out yesterday for the S10. But, alas, Samsung had to postpone it for later. Hopefully, that won't be the case with the Note 10 as well.

That's all for now. Feel like we forgot to mention something important? Got anything wrong? Then let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!

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SOURCES: SAM MOBILE 1, SAM MOBILE 2, GSM ARENA 1, GSM ARENA 2,