Android Nougat 7.1 UK release date | Android N new features

Google released Android Nougat in August, and has now released Android Nougat 7.1.1 and a beta version of Android Nougat 7.1.2. Here’s what’s new in Android N and we try to answer your big question: When will my phone get Android N? Also see: When will I get Android Marshmallow?

You’ll also be interested in: Google I/O 2016 as it happened | How to get Android Nougat now | Daydream VR | Nexus 7 (2016) | Nexus 5 & Nexus 6 (2016) | Android Pay UK | Google Home |  Android N review.

Android N name: What is Android 7.0 called?

Following Android Alpha and Android Beta, Google has always named its Android OS updates after sweet treats, and in alphabetical order. So far we’ve had Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat, Lollipop and Marshmallow. In 2016 we have Nougat. Also see: How fast is Android Nougat? And how to split screen in Android Nougat.

Android Nougat 7.1 UK release date rumours: When is Android N 7.1 coming out?

Android N 7.1 UK release date: 5 December 2016

Google has released Android Nougat 7.1 to the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P and Pixel C, with support coming for other Google devices in early 2017.

New features include instant chat support, automatic data uploading to the cloud and Daydream VR support, plus a host of features that will excite devs, such as custom shortcuts, support for image keyboards, and APIs for multi-endpoint calling and telephony configuration.

Also available now is a public beta of Android 7.1.2, which should be released within the next few months. It is said to be “an incremental maintenance release focused on refinements, so it includes a number of bugfixes and optimizations, along with a small number of enhancements for carriers and users”.

The Android Nougat 7.1.2 Beta is for developers, but as before anyone will be able to install it on a compatible device. See How to get Android N 7.1.2 Beta for more information.

Android N UK release date: 22 August 2016

The final version of Android Nougat is out now. It was tipped all over the place to launch in August, and the closest we had to a release date was a Telus software schedule suggesting the Nexus 6P and 5X would receive the update on 22 August. With no word from Google we were dubious, but it did indeed launch Android Nougat yesterday.

If you have a Nexus 6P or Nexus 5X you should by now have been upgraded to Android N.

The official Android blog talks more about the rollout: “Today, and over the next several weeks, the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, Pixel C and General Mobile 4G (Android One) will get an over the air software update to Android 7.0 Nougat. Any devices enrolled in the Android Beta Program will also receive this final version.”

It also says that the LG V20 will be the first Android phone to ship with Android 7.0 out of the box, which is another surprise, since many were expecting the new OS to be the first preinstalled on the new Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 for 2016, which have since turned out to be the new Pixel and Pixel XL, which will be announced next week. (Also see: LG V20 UK release date, price, specification and feature rumours.)

Other flagship Android devices will get the upgrade toward the end of the year or early 2017.

In an unusual move Google unveiled the Android Nougat Developer Preview ahead of Google I/O in order to give it more time to incorporate feedback from developers. At Google I/O the company discussed some new features that we’ll detail below, and announced that a public beta of Android Nougat was available.

Click here to learn how to install Android Nougat now.

Also see: Best new phones coming in 2016.

When will my phone get Android Nougat? Will my phone get Android Nougat?

As we’ve said above, Nougat is only on certain Nexus devices and brand-new phones such as the LG V20 right now. Nexus phones and tablets are always the first to get new operating system updates, but even Google won’t support them forever. Security updates are provided for three years following the device’s release, or 18 months after it is removed from the Google Play Store (whichever is longer).

So, for example, the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P will be supported by Google until September 2017, which means they will get both Android Nougat and next year’s Android O. The Nexus 9 and Nexus 6 will both be supported until October 2016, which should mean they get an update to Android Nougat but not Android O. Older Nexus devices will not be upgraded.

Those with supported Nexus devices should find the update rolls out to their device following the launch of the new Nexus phones for 2016, or at least within a few weeks of launch. Also see: How to direct reply in Android Nougat.

If you have a recent flagship phone or tablet from a well-known maker such as Sony, Samsung, HTC, LG or Motorola, it’s likely you’ll see the update rolled out within the first few months of 2017. However, before you can get the update both the hardware manufacturer and mobile operator must be ready to roll it out, which can slow down things.

Samsung has now finished beta-testing Nougat for the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, and the OTA update should begin rolling out in late January 2017. One of the things we’ve learned from beta testers is that although the phones support a native 1440p Quad-HD resolution, by default in Nougat they are set to 1080p full-HD – and you can scale them down further to 720p. Given that most of the time you can’t tell the difference between Quad- and full-HD, it does make sense to reduce the resolution when it isn’t required to save battery life.

It’s telling that even a year and a half after its release, Android Lollipop has only recently become the most popular Android operating system. Often only the most recent flagships get an update to new Android operating systems (also see: How to update Android), and even then nothing is guaranteed. With thousands of people still using Android phones that are entry-level models, from less well-known manufacturers or simply old, there are still people out there running Gingerbread – and they will never get an update to Android Nougat.

At the latest count on 9 January 2017, Android Developers published the following breakdown of Android platform segregation:

Read next: Check out our round-ups of the best current Android phones and Android tablets, and  Best new phones