It looks like last week’s rumours were true, because Android 7 Nougat is finally here. Although Nougat has been with us for a while now, last week rumours surfaced of a public release date – and they've been proven right. The new rumours stemmed from the Android Central, website who noticed something odd in the Canadian network operator Telus’ software update schedule.
According to the schedule, a certain "Android N Update" was pencilled in for a "target launch" of 22 August – which was yesterday. The rumour’s legitimacy was also backed up by another leak: LG is running a preview program of the new OS for Korean G5s, and somewhat coincidentally, it was due to start on Monday too.
Google began rolling out Nougat via an OTA or over the air update early yesterday, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be coming to your Android handset anytime soon. Just like every other Android release, Google is rolling out the update to its NExus handsets first. That means you’ll have to wait until Sony, Samsung or HTC or whichever company makes your phone has ironed out compatiblity issues with the new OS. If you’ve got something like a HTC 10 or Samsung Galaxy S7, there is a silver lining though. Google tends to prioritise the update to flagship smartphones before rolling it out to the larger Android audience.
While you’re waiting for Android 7.0 below you’ll find everything you need to know about the new mobile OS - including our in-depth analysis of its brand new features.
Daydream
Daydream is what a new VR platform that's going to be included in Android N. The framework in preparation has already started appearing in DP3 but it will require "Daydream Ready" hardware. These are smartphones that meet the criteria required for an acceptable user experience, with the correct sensors, a fast display and a powerful-enough chipset. Smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC and LG are expected to produce models like this later in the year. You can read more about what Google Daydream will bring, including new hardware, right here.
Seamless updates and smoother app installs
Copying how Google's Chromebooks handles its updates, Developer Preview 3 introduces seamless updates. This means new devices built on Android N will be able to install system updates in the background without disturbing your user experience. After the user powers up their device, new devices will be able to automatically switch to the newly updated system image. Combined with Android N's new "Just In Time" (JIT) compiler this should lead to small app sizes, too.
Bug fixes
While Google is describing this as the most beta-quality Developer Preview yet, it's still a beta. As such there's still plenty of bugs to be quashed. Thankfully, DP3 has quashed quite a few so you can expect a much more stable experience.
