The team behind LineageOS today announced the release of LineageOS 15.1 based on Android 8.1 Oreo. The release comes months after Google first released Android Oreo in September last year. The LineageOS builds based on Android 8.1 comes with a number of underlying changes that will help the future releases of the custom ROM.

Thanks to the introduction of Project Treble in Android Oreo, the LineageOS team had to do away with how they supported the existing hardware. Instead, they had to adopt a new approach and ensured that their new code was Project Treble compatible. Thanks to this, some of LineageOS features like LiveDisplay and LED control are now also Project Treble compatible and comply with the latest Android standards. This should make it easier for the team to forward-port them when a new version of Android comes out.

Additionally, the team has cleaned up the entire platform code, removed all deprecated bits, and completed the rebranding process. That’s not all though. There are some new features and enhancements in LineageOS 15.1 as well. Firstly, you can now select a custom color accent for the system interface. There’s also a light and dark interface for you to decide between now. This integrates with LiveDisplay so, during the day, the interface will make use of the light theme, while it will switch some of the interface elements to dark after sunset to make them easier to read. Even better, there’s an ‘Automagic’ option that will select the system colors depending on the wallpaper you are using.

The stock Trebuchet launcher of LineageOS has also seen some major upgrades. Apart from its underlying code being refactored, some old and redundant features have been removed, with some much-requested features like icon pack support being added. There’s support for adaptive icon too, though the launcher also offers one the option to select an icon shape they like.

For better safety and stability, LineageOS has also introduced a new set of rules under LineageOS Device Support Requirements (LDSR). All official LineageOS 15.1 release for any device must comply with the rules and standards set under the LSDR to ensure they are stable and without any issues.

Make sure to head over to the official LineageOS announcement by hitting the source link below to know more about LineageOS 15.1. As for the official LineageOS 15.1 builds, they will start rolling out from Monday for selected devices, with support for more devices added over time.