Google reveals the upcoming features on the new Android 7.1 Nougat update. The new Nougat OS iteration comes with features similar to 3D-touch quick action and keyboard GIF support.
With the launch of the Pixel smartphones, Google has dropped the Nexus branding, shifting all attention to the new Pixel smartphones. At the time of the launch, Google had announced that the Pixel smartphones will come pre-installed with the latest Android Nougat 7.1, making them the first smartphones to run on the new update of the operating system. However, don’t you think that Google has forgotten all about the Nexus now. In the latest post on the Android Developers Blog, Google has revealed a list of Nexus smartphones, which will be getting the developer preview of the new rendition of Android Nougat. Although Google did give a sneak peek into the new Nougat update at the Google Pixel event last week, it has now revealed many more details of the update like Daydream VR support and A/B system updates to app shortcuts and image keyboard support. The open developer preview of the update will be available later this month.
Google has announced that the developer preview will first be rolled out for Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and Pixel C devices, which will eventually be extended to other supported devices by the end of the preview. At the final release of the Android 7.1, which is due in early December, Google will roll out updates to the full lineup of supported devices, which is the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, Pixel C, and supported Android One devices, along with Pixel and Pixel XL devices.
Android Nougat 7.1 is essentially an incremental update to Android 7.0, which has a variety of optimizations and big fixes, in addition to a few new features and APIs. Android 7.1 features an iOS’ 3D-touch like app shortcut API, which surfaces key actions directly in the launcher and takes a user deep into an app instantly. This is portrayed in the screenshot to the left below, and you can see how similar it is to Apple’s quick actions feature on iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and now the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Additionally, the new update also allows developers to create circular app icons.
In terms of new features, the messaging keyboard has a very similar update to iOS 10’s iMessage upgrade. The new ‘image keyboard support’ in Nougat 7.1 allows users to send across custom stickers and animated gifs. The update will also come with an in-built Storage Manager intent, which will let an app take the user straight to a new Settings screen to clear unused files and free up storage space. For carriers and calling apps, the platform includes new APIs to support multi-endpoint calling and new telephony configuration options.
For developers, who want to receive the preview automatically, they can visit Android Beta and enroll their device. Developers who have previously enrolled a device and haven’t un-enrolled, their device will receive the update. And in case, a developers has already enrolled but don’t want to receive the update, visit Android Beta to un-enroll the device as soon as possible.
While, Google is already talking about the Android Nougat 7.1 update, Android 7.0 powers a disappointingly low percentage of devices currently. At last count, Nougat is running on less than 0.1 percent of Android devices. Although Nougat is the latest version, Android 5.0 Lollipop, which was introduced way back in 2014, remains one of the most popular and widely adopted operating systems till date with about 35 percent devices running the OS. Even after entering fully into the smartphone game with its Pixel phones, Google is still allowing carriers to handle system updates, except for security patches. ALSO READ: iOS 10 running on over 50 percent Apple devices after a month; Android Nougat lags with just 0.1 percent adoption
Apple’s iOS 10, on the other hand, is already running on over 50 percent of devices in just a month since release. While iOS 10 powers 54 percent of devices, there remain eight percent of iOS devices that continue to run an older version of the operating system, while about 38 percent of devices are still content with iOS 9.