Andy Rubin’s Essential PH-1, or the Essential Phone as everyone says, received its Android 8.1 Oreo update last month. However, the company has announced that it’s rolling out a new build of Android 8.1 Oreo to the Essential Phone which comes with some improvements and bug fixes among other things.
This new Android 8.1 Oreo build for Essential Phone, that carries version number OPM1.180104.41, brings in modem stability fixes, improved performance, and, proper handling of external game controllers. But that’s not all, the new 8.1 Oreo build also comes with Google’s latest security patch for Android that’s dated April, 2018.
We're rolling out a new Oreo 8.1 build (141) that includes April security patches, Bluetooth 5.0 certified, modem stability fixes, and more. pic.twitter.com/KMoSmjIR47
— Essential (@essential) April 6, 2018
More importantly, this new build also brings in Bluetooth 5.0 support to Essential Phone. Well, the phone already had the required hardware for Bluetooth 5.0, but what was missing was the necessary software. Now that’s available as well, hence, you can now take advantage of Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
Having said that, this update is rolling out over-the-air and should reach your phone within a week or so. But, if it doesn’t, or if you don’t want to wait, you can check for it manually by heading over to the Settings > About Phone > Software Update menu.
