If you know anything about Google's own open-source operating system for smartphones, tablets, and other devices, then you know that it gets updated every year. The latest that was announced last May was Version 7.0, otherwise known as Nougat, but it is rolling out as of this writing for Google's own Nexus devices. That is a first time that this has happened, as normally it rolls out on the latest Google Nexus that shows up that year. So, chances are, it could rollout earlier Android devices like Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony, and Morotola.
According to Engadget, Android 7.0 is actually rolling out as an Over the Air (OTA) update that has already begun. However, this update is only available to certain devices, and these are the ones that belong to Google. The upgrade is available to the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, as well as Nexus 9 and Pixel C tablets. There is also a report that Nougat is coming to the Nexus Player set-top box as well as the General Mobile 4G Android One smartphone.
The good news is that for those who got the more stable version of the beta software back at the company's I/O for developers back in May, there isn't much difference between Android 7.0 open beta and what is rolling out now. Of course, Google released five developer previews of Android Nougat, one per month. Unfortunately, if you have the Nexus 5, it will not have Nougat, just like the Nexus 4 did not get Android Marshmallow, according to VentureBeat.
In case you are wondering, this is very different for Google to release their latest version of their operating system. It even gets more interesting as the first smartphone or device that get Nougat won't be something that Google owns. Instead, it will be LG, as it will be the first Nougat smartphone with the LG V20, launching on September 6, according to ZDNet.
So, when is everyone else going to be getting Nougat? It is a fair question to ask since Google Nexus devices are getting it before the new ones come out, not to mention the LG V20. So, does that mean that Samsung, Sony, HTC, Motorola, and other Android brands will be getting it sooner as well.
There are reports from places like Wired saying that perhaps Motorola will be getting Nougat first. After all, it was the first device to get Marshmallow. It sounds like it might take a while for it to come to Samsung's lineup like the Samsung Note 7, the Galaxy S7, and the Galaxy S7 Edge phones, and it will probably be around the same time for HTC products like the HTC 10. It looks like Sony will take even longer.
