Android Nougat is set to be the best Android release yet with tonnes of improvements and new features. Here's everything there is to know about the next iteration of Google's mobile operating system.
Android Nougat latest news
09/08/2017: Android N reaches 13% of all Android devices
Google's Android Nougat operating system now runs on 13.5% of all Android devices, according to the latest figures.
Nougat 7.0 runs on 12.3% of devices, according to Android Dashboard data gathered last week, while 1.2% of devices are running 7.1, the latest version of the OS.
Released a year ago, Nougat's adoption is climbing steadily, but Marshmallow remains the most popular version of Android, with 32.3% adoption, followed by Lollipop's 29.2%.
While KitKat runs on 16% of devices, Jelly Bean now languishes on less than 10% and Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich collectively enjoy less than a 2% share.
Android O, the next update to the operating system, is expected to land imminently. The Pixel - Google's own smartphone - might be the first to get it this week, according to Android Police.
"I'd look for the official Google Pixel Android O update to land in about a week," managing editor David Ruddock wrote on Twitter on 2 August. "Could be pushed, but that's the timeline for now AFAIK."
Android Nougat release date, developer preview and device availability
The developer preview version of Android Nougat became available on 9 March, with more details being revealed at the company's annual I/O developer conference - see the according to Android Authority. Therefore, we could see the general release of Android Nougat by the end of August.
That doesn't mean all devices will get the update at the same time, however. Historically, the latest Android operating system has come to Google's own Nexus devices first, with other Android devices following later. In fact, as of August 2016, Android Marshmallow, Nougat's predecessor, is only running on 15 per cent of Android devices.
This is because of the way Android's ecosystem works. While Nexus devices use a "pure" form of Android, as both are created by Google, other manufacturers apply their own programming and "skins" to the OS on their devices, meaning it takes longer for the latest version of Android to roll out to them.
Therefore, it's likely that other devices, even flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, will not receive the Android Nougat update until spring 2017.
The developer preview, however, is still available in its fifth and final version, so if you want a sneak peek at what's in store, that's one way to go about it. Be warned, though: as with all betas, it is still a little rough around the edges.
