Hot on the heels of the Pixel update earlier today, Verizon is also rolling out an update for Galaxy S8 and S8+ devices on the network. Don't get too excited, it's still just Android 7.0 Nougat. But, you do get a pile of bug fixes and improvements like an option for faster face recognition, navigation bar tweaks, and fixes for things like VPNs, car Bluetooth, and alarms.
The full changelog for this latest version (Builds NRD90M.G950USQU1AQGL and NRD90M.G955USQU1AQGL for the S8 and S8+, respectively) is pretty chunky, so rather than post the whole thing here I've made an abridged version:
- Faster face recognition
- Navigation bar "Show and hide button" updated to interact with a double tap
- Alarm notifications on the AOD (Always On Display) fix
- Briefing card update notification fix
- Car Bluetooth® music browser issue fix
- Caller Name ID app update
- Smart Switch app update
- For B2B enterprise customers: VPN and Knox improvements
If you do want the full logs, they are available at the source links below.
As you can see, it's mostly bug fixes and updates, but some of the changes like faster face recognition and the navigation button tweaks can add up to a good chunk of saved time. Keep in mind that this new faster face recognition option is also less secure. So if you're worried about that sort of thing, you may wish to keep that disabled to stay on the older, slower method.
The navigation bar update is pretty simple, the single tap of the lock/unlock button to prevent nav bar changes is now a double-tap. What's left are bug fixes and app-updates. The biggest offender probably being the problems with Bluetooth audio which cropped-up after receiving a call. Having that fixed should save a bit of frustration behind the wheel.
It's not as big a deal as the recent Pixel update, but Galaxy S8 and S8+ users on big red should keep an eye out for it, as it should be landing soon. If you don't see an OTA, you can check in Settings -> About phone -> Software updates -> Check for Updates, and if one is available you should be prompted to download it. Just make sure you're on Wi-Fi, or that you have the data to pull it down. Though we don't know the file size, updates can be pretty big.