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Google Begins Rolling Out Android 7.0 Nougat (venturebeat.com)

Posted by msmash on from the update-nazi dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Google today started rolling out Android 7.0 Nougat to existing Nexus devices via an over-the-air software update. This is a gradual rollout: The Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, Pixel C, and General Mobile 4G (Android One) will all be updated, but " it may take several weeks" before everyone gets the latest and greatest, a Google spokesperson told VentureBeat.The Nexus 5 (2013), which packs in a Snapdragon 800 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM and 5-inch full-HD display, won't be receiving Android Nougat update -- despite having all the hardware capabilities required for a phone to receive Google's latest OS update. The truth of the matter is if Google wanted to update the Nexus 5 with the latest Android software, it could have. It just chose not to. It's very likely that same will be the case for the Nexus 6, a phone that has 3GB of RAM, and Snapdragon 805 SoC, next year when the company releases Android O update.

1 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Do we nned it? by ilsaloving · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Are you serious? v6 introduced Doze mode, which help battery life. v7 extends Doze mode further, which means it should finally be possible to use an android phone for more than a day without needing to somehow shoehorn an absurdly large battery.

    Android 6 also finally introduces various privacy features, so you can choose what access you are willing to grant to an individual application. Up until v6, Android was a identity thief's wet dream, cause a developer could request ridiculous amounts of access from your device, and the permission warning screen was confusing enough that most people ended up just ignoring it in the same way they ignore "Agree to our ToS" screens.

    It also marks the point where Google has finally pulled it's head out of the sand and realized that it cannot rely 3rd party manufacturers to properly support their devices, and is taking back control of things like updates, and whatnot.

    I can only hope that all this means the desperately needed end of the "Landfill Android" era.