Android O (which is basically Android 8.0) Developer Preview 4 and the August Security Patch is reportedly hitting some Pixel XL devices, according to a new report and screenshots coming from users of the device. While most Pixel and Pixel XL phones at this point are working with the July 5th security patch, in the screenshot below it’s clearly visible that the August 5th security patch is showing up as an available download for some users, though it’s likely that the number of people who are getting this update alert is very small, and if that’s the case then the wider rollout should be starting for most users in the next few weeks.
Interestingly, it’s reported that the user who has this software installed on their Pixel XL is claiming that this device was purchased with this version of the software, suggesting that this may be Android 8.0’s official version. The screenshot shows that the system is up to date and the software version is listed as Android 8.0.0, but what isn’t clear is if this is the final developer preview build or if it’s the consumer-ready version of Android 8.0 that is supposed to hit users a little bit later this year. That being said, it’s possible but not necessarily likely that Google accidentally sold a device with Android 8.0 on it out of the box, as there is still one last developer preview that has to be sent out to users and the actual final build of Android 8.0 is still likely a month or two off.
Unfortunately, other than the system update page, there really isn’t anything defining that could confirm which version of the Android software this is, however, that doesn’t make it any less intriguing to think that there may be a user out there with a version of the Android software that the public isn’t supposed to have yet, and all by happenstance no less. If this is the fourth and final developer preview for Android O, and it’s coming with the Android 5th security patch, then this suggests that Google may be looking to release the Android O DP4 software update in the next couple of weeks, which could point to Android 8.0 officially releasing within a month or two after that.