Following an online fielding of ideas from the public, Google has revealed the official name of the next version of Android: 7.0 Nougat. The ceremony took place over Snapchat. The name Android Nougat was a firm favorite from the beginning, alongside Nutella, so not too much of a surprise, but it’s nice to have a solid sobriquet to attach to the new firmware.
We could receive the Android Nougat update a little faster than first expected. A tweet posted by Evan Blass suggests that Google could release Android 7.0 this month. It might be bundled with the August security patch, suggesting it could only be a matter of days before the update makes its way to you.
Another tidbit Blass mentioned was that the Nexus 5 will not receive the Nougat update. While this doesn’t come as much surprise, considering the Nexus 5 was released almost three years ago, the device’s consistent popularity means there is likely to be a large group of owners who will be disappointed with this news.
At the Google I/O 2016 keynote on May 18, Google announced the release of a beta-quality version of Android 7.0 Nougat. This third developer preview focused on three areas: performance, security and productivity. Native VR support was also confirmed with a new VR platform called Daydream.
Google began by talking about the Vulkan graphics API. We already saw this in the Android 7.0 Nougat Developer Preview 2, and you can read more about what it means for Android here. A new JIT compiler means that apps should install up to 75 percent faster, and compiler code should be reduced by 50 percent. The irritating Android is starting… dialogue box will be gone for good, thanks to this new compiler, as well.
Security
Google stressed improvements in security through file-based encryption, media framework hardening and seamless updates. In particular, these ‘Seamless updates’ mean that your phone will download new software images in the background and prepare them for the next time you restart your device. Thanks to the file-based encryption, you also won’t need to enter your device password upon restarting.
Productivity
Productivity is also now a focus. Google says that most people only use their seven most recent apps from the recent app drawer, so the wheel will be limited to these. There is also going to be a Clear all button, which received a rush of applause for a grateful I/O audience.
By double-tapping the recent apps button, you can quickly switch to the previous app, although, on many devices, this feature was already available via a long press on the same button.
