Motorola Oreo update: Android 8.1 rolling out for Moto G5S Plus

Motorola is always among one of the quickest Android OEMs to release the major Android OS update. We expect the record to remain unchallenged with Oreo rollout too, with their flagship device, the Moto Z2 Force, expected to become one of the first Android devices to get an Android 8.0 OTA.

Sure, the Moto G5S and G5S Plus, for whom Motorola specifically confirmed Oreo rollout to happen soon are in the line too, but the flagship device in Z2 Force should take center stage in the first rollout of 8.0 from Motorola.

Check out the below for the latest news on Oreo update in each of the device sections.

Motorola Android 8.0 update list

We would not be surprised to see Motorola get a place in a list of first three Android OEMs to release the Oreo update. Maybe their use of stock UI helps them, but it’s more so because they care about OS updates.

Here is a list of some popular Motorola devices that would and wouldn’t be receiving Android 8.0 Oreo update.

Device	Oreo Update Eligibility	Expected Release Date
Motorola Moto G4 Plus	Eligible	Q3 2018
Motorola Moto G5	Eligible	Released (June 15, 2018)
Motorola Moto G5 Plus	Eligible	Released on 01 September 2018
Motorola Moto G5S	Eligible	Released as Soak test
Motorola Moto G5S Plus	Eligible	Released as Soak test
Motorola Moto X4	Eligible	Released on 28 Dec 2017
Motorola Moto X4 Android One	Eligible	Released on 23 Dec 2017 (Oreo 8.0) Released on 15 March 2018 (Oreo 8.1)
Motorola Moto Z	Eligible	Released in Brazil (22 March 2018), May 17 in USA
Motorola Moto Z Force	Eligible	Released on 18 June 2018
Motorola Moto Z Droid	Eligible	Released on 18 June 2018
Motorola Moto Z Force Droid	Eligible	Released on 18 June 2018
Motorola Moto Z2 Force	Eligible	Released at Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint
Motorola Moto Z Play	Eligible	Released on 19 April 2018 (in India), May 25 in USA
Motorola Moto Z2 Play	Eligible	Released on 07 Apr 2018
Motorola Moto C	Not eligible	—
Motorola Moto C Plus	Not eligible	—
Motorola Moto E3	Not eligible	—
Motorola Moto E3 Power	Not eligible	—
Motorola Moto E4	Not eligible	—
Motorola Moto E4 Plus	Not eligible	—
Motorola Moto G4	Not eligible	—
Motorola Moto G4 Play	Not eligible	—
Motorola Moto M	Not eligible	—

Moto Z2 Force Oreo update

Released at Verizon (Dec 23), T-Mobile (Dec 29), AT&T (Feb 23) and Sprint (Feb 20) in the USA. Global release expected in January 2018.

Sprint was the last of the four major U.S. carriers to roll out Android Oreo to the Moto Z2 Force. It all started with Verizon back in 2017 and T-Mobile wasn’t far behind. After close to two months of waiting, AT&T finally rolled out Android 8.0 Oreo to the Moto Z2 Force. The update came with software version OCX27.109-47 and also installed the latest security patches.

Despite the long wait, Sprint users of the Moto Z2 Force finally got the Oreo dessert, which came with software version OCX27.109-48 and installed February’s security patches.

Moto Z and Moto Z Force Oreo update

Released in Brazil on March 22, 2018, May 17 in the U.S.

Motorola has been testing Android Oreo on the Moto Z for months now. The first soak test was reported back in December 2017 and a second rolled out in February 2018.

The wait is over as we can now confirm that Moto Z users, at least in Brazil, can get their phones to Android Oreo via an OTA update. The update also started rolling out in Europe on April 17, followed by Canada and the U.S. on April 21 and May 17, respectively.

Moto Z Oreo

Update [June 18, 2018]: Verizon Wireless has also commenced the rollout of Android 8.0 Oreo to the Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid. The update had already rolled out to the unlocked models in the U.S., but now those on the carrier-branded Droids can now enjoy the same dessert.

Moto Z2 Play update

Android 8.0 Oreo released on April 07, 2018.

Update [April 25, 2018]: It seems Android Oreo update has commenced in Europe, where some users of the Moto Z2 Play are reporting to have received the new OS over the air. This is indeed what we predicted, that the update will spread from South America to Europe before the end of this month.

Moto Z2 Play Oreo update

The update installs software version OPS27.76-12-25, which also brings the latest Android security patches for the month of April 2018.

Update [April 07, 2018]: Motorola has confirmed that they are now rolling out Oreo for the Z2 Play handsets in Brazil. More regions would be covered in the next few weeks, so the users in India, Europe, etc. can expect the Android 8.0 update to hit their devices before the end of April 2018.

Moto Z Play update

Android 8.0 update: Released on 19 April 2018 (May 25 in USA)

Motorola had been expected to update the Moto Z Play to Android Oreo somewhere this Q2 2018 and indeed, the company has delivered by commencing the rollout in India. The first instance of Moto Z Play and Oreo came back in 2017, where the phone was reported to be testing the OS in Brazil, but contrary to the expectation, the first stable release has been spotted in India.

Still, that is not much of our concern here. What matters most is that the Moto Z Play is getting Oreo and that sooner or later, every unit out there will be running Oreo.

Update [May 25, 2018]: Motorola has begun rolling out Android 8.0 to the Moto Z Play in the U.S., over a month following the commencement of the rollout in India. The update comes with April 2018 security patch and installs software version OPN27.76-12-22. If you are yet to see it, Motorola says you can trigger the manual update via Settings > About phone > System updates.

Moto X4 Oreo update

Released on December 28, 2017, in India. Global release expected in January 2018.

Motorola has begun seeding the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Moto X4 sets in India. The update arrives as software version OPW27.2, and also brings the latest monthly security patch, December 2017. As it’s a pretty big update, we would recommend you to connect your device to Wi-Fi, and then check for the ‘system update’ under Settings > About phone.

Moto X4 Android One Oreo update

Released on December 24, 2017.

Google has released the Android Oreo update for the Motorola Moto X4 Android One edition that is available on Google’s own Project Fi program. The Android 8.0 build arrives as version OPW27.1, and you can check for it under Settings > About phone > System updates.

As of March 15, 2018, Android 8.1 Oreo is rolling out to Moto X4 Android One variant in the U.S. The update comes with software version OPW28.46-3, which also installs March Android security patch.

Moto X4 Android 8.1

Moto G5S and G5S Plus Oreo update

Moto G5S: Android 8.1 still in beta phase
Moto G5S Plus: Android 8.1 released on 1 September 2018

Moto G5 and G5 Plus Oreo update

Expected release date: Released in June 2018

Motorola was quick to update the Moto G4 sets to Nougat last year, which happened before the year came to a close. On that basis alone, it wouldn’t be wrong to expect the Oreo update from Motorola for the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus handsets before the end of December 2017, but things have changed this year, for worse.

December has gone past, and there has been no news of the Oreo update for the Moto G5 and G5 Plus handsets, let alone a soak test. It’s now well into May 2018, still no signs of Oreo on the G5 sets. Nonetheless, we expect the Android Oreo OTA to hit these devices sometime towards the end of Q2 2018, either along with or after the G5S Oreo rollout.

Update [June 15]: Motorola’s Brazilian family of the Moto G5 Plus has received invitations to join the phone’s Oreo 8.1 soak test program. This is meant for testing the OS on the handset before commencing a wider rollout to other regions. Although we do know that the standard Moto G5 will also receive an upgrade to Android Oreo, the phone’s status as far as the Oreo 8.1 soak test is unknown. More details.

Update: Even more interesting news is that the standard Moto G5 is also getting the Oreo 8.1 treat, as captured in this post.

Moto G4 Plus Oreo update

Expected release date: Q2 2018

In its list of Oreo eligible devices, Motorola skipped the 8.0 update for G4 and G4 Plus. However, things changed quickly, at least for the G4 Plus. Users across the internet reminded them of their promise at the time of G4 Plus launch that it would see both Android N (Nougat) and Android O (Oreo).

Motorola realized the mistake and agreed to prepare an Android 8.0 software update for the G4 Plus.

Moto M Oreo update

Expected release date: Not eligible.

Strangely enough, Motorola has struggled to update some of its devices to Nougat that deserved it very well. Moto M is one such device whose Nougat release on the global level is still not happening, so it was no surprise when Motorola excluded it from its list of devices that would get to see a day in Oreo.

The only way Moto M could run Android Oreo is via a custom ROM like LineageOS 15, which should become available for the device in stable form pretty soon.