The LineageOS 15.1 build based on Android 8.1 Oreo has been officially announced and released on a handful of devices, with support for additional handsets expected to arrive at a later date. According to the developers, one of the biggest changes added to the ROM under the hood lies in the implementation of the Project Treble framework, which should allow for faster forward-porting of new features whenever they’ll be implemented by Google into Android. On the visual side of things, the changelog mentions that the homebrewed Trebuchet launcher was also rewritten to match the current Android OS standards, and the custom camera app received new additions as well.
LineageOS 15.1 removes some unmentioned redundant features, all while adding new useful ones such as icon packs, adaptive app icons, and the ability to select an icon shape from a handful of designs including circle, super ellipse, teardrop, and the so-called squircle. With LineageOS 15.1, users will be able to further personalize certain aspects of their interface, such as selecting an accent color and having the ability to pick between a dark or light interface. Optionally, these UI elements can also be implemented automatically through LiveDisplay, which allows the device to dynamically change its theme based on the time of the day. Finally, a new feature called Automagic is able to suggest color combinations for the UI based on the current wallpaper. Aside from these changes to the Trebuchet custom launcher, the Snap camera application now includes a QR code reader that supports simple text and text messages, email addresses, events, contact cards, location coordinates, and phone numbers, as well as QR-encoded URLs.
As of this writing, there are only a handful of devices supporting LineageOS 15.1, such as Google‘s Nexus 6P (angler) and Nexus 5X (bullhead), as well as the OnePlus 3/3T, OnePlus 5, and the OnePlus 5T. The Xiaomi Mi 5 series including the Mi 5S and Mi 5S Plus also made the list along with the LeEco Le Pro3 and Le Pro3 Elite, and finally, two Wi-Fi-enabled Samsung tablets are also supported, namely the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 and Galaxy Tab S2 9.7. Readers can head down to the source link below for more details regarding future nightly builds and more, as well as the necessary instructions for acquiring and flashing the custom LineageOS 15.1 ROM to supported devices.