Android Nougat release date: latest news, Review

What is it? The next version of Google's mobile OS*

Google has announced that Android N

is going to be called Android Nougat.

It's a suitably sweet-toothed choice,

although we're a bit disappointed Naan

bread wasn't picked. Also, Canadian phone

operator Telus has published an update

schedule which points to a 22 August release date for the new OS. Not official, but it does mean you could be playing with new Android features much sooner than expected...

Android N: Everything we know so far

Every year, Android gets an overhaul. Alphabet lover that it is, Google likes to give its annual OS iteration a consecutively lettered name. 2015’s was Android M (Marshmallow), 2016’s is Android N (Nougat).

The company has recently released Android N Developer Preview 4, allowing developers and brave early adopters to get a hands-on grip with the mobile OS’s new features. We’ve reviewed the developer preview of Android N (7) here. Below we have a roundup of the essential information relating to Android N, including details about its release date, which phones will get the update, headline features, and how to download the developer preview.

Android N: Release date

Google announced during its annual I/O event that Android N would launch “later this summer”. It’s not exactly an iron-set release date, but other clues suggest Android N could be dropping very soon indeed.Canadian operator Telus has posted an update schedule listing 22 August as the day the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P would be getting their Android N updates. So watch this space closely.

Android N: Which phones will get it?

Once it’s out in the wild, Nexus phones will get the upgrade first. Other manufacturers will then need to rework their own versions of Android, which can take several months – if it happens at all.

HTC has said it will bring Android N to the HTC 10, One A9 and One M9, and Motorola has said it will bring the upgrade to the Moto G4 Plus. You can also expect Samsung to hoist Android N onto its recent flagships, including the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, and probably the S6 too. Generally, if you have a recent flagship, the odds are that your manufacturer will roll out the upgrade around the beginning of 2017.

Android N: How to download and install the developer preview

Dave Burke, Google’s vice president of engineering, called the preview build a "work in progress" – so expect the features to be a little rough around the edges. If you’re keen to catch a glimpse of the next Android iteration, however, here’s how you can install it.

Users can install Android N developer preview the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, General Mobile 4G, Nexus Player, Nexus 9 and Pixel C devices. A word of warning: the developer preview isn’t intended for consumers. The build isn’t stable, and could potentially damage your data. You’ll probably want to back up your phone’s contents before proceeding.

Option 1: Install Android N Beta via Google’s sign-up
Go to Google’s Android N beta page and sign in with your Google account – you’ll need to have a compatible device associated with your Google account.
Select Enroll Device and choose your device.
Agree to the terms and conditions and click Join Beta. You should then get a notification about a system update. If you need to check it manually, you can by going to going to Settings | About Phone | System Updates.

Option 2: Install Android N Beta via Factory Image

Make sure you have the latest version of Android Studio Preview installed on your computer, including ADB and Fastboot.
Download the factory image for your device.
Go to Settings | Developer Options, tick "USB debugging", then extract and save the factory image to your computer.
Connect your device to your computer via USB
Start the device in Fastboot mode. You might need to boot into Ffastboot mode with the ADB tool. If so, with the device on, go to the command terminal and execute: adb reboot bootloader.
Navigate to the unzipped factory image.
Execute and command: flash-all.bat – the phone will install all the necessary software, and will likely need to reboot several times. Don’t interfere with it during this time.