We’re barely 24 hours past the launch of Android 7.0 and we’re already hearing leaks/ rumours about the Android 7.1 maintenance release. If the rumours are true we could well be seeing Android 7.1 released alongside the new Nexus devices in September, sometime within the next month.
Google has recently begun releasing their own apps – Google Photos, Google Play Books and even the Play Store for Android – targeting API level 25. Android 7.0 (Nougat), only recently finished finalising the API level for Level 24. A new API level of 25 being targeted by Google indicates a new version of Android is in testing, something backed up by the Android Developers blog which yesterday announced that regular MR1 releases could be expected.
The expectation then is that with the LG V20 set to be the first phone running Android 7.0 out of the box, the new Nexus phones could be launching with Android 7.1 otherwise known as Maintenance Release 1 (MR1).
An update to API level 25, could open up the missing parts of the Nougat release we are still expecting to see launched soon – notably Google Assistant and possibly some Daydream functions. Whether the Nexus devices will require an OS update when they arrive, or ship with the update to add features like Google Assistant and Daydream still absent from the Android 7.0 Nougat release isn’t clear.
Android Police’s David Ruddock certainly believes that the Nexus devices are going to be shipping with MR1, tweeting:
https://twitter.com/RDR0b11/status/768133395587018752
Seeing as the pipe dream of an early Nexus launch is done we should be seeing the devices launch in Late September if Google keeps to their typical schedule, which all indications seem to suggest they will. With around a month until that deadline you can expect the leaks, rumours and speculation to go into overdrive.
Are you looking forward to new Nexus devices? We sure are!
I personally don’t care about 7.1 release but more about when allo will release?
I’m the most excited about a Nexus since I bought my first Nexus phone (N4). After using, LG, Moto, Samsung phones for some time and not really enjoying the 6Ps size, I’m hoping one of these devices is going to be my perfect phone
if not I think you were holding a pretty good device the other day!
I think if google are dumb enough to release a new API level and significantly new OS, so soon after releasing 7.0 – they deserve all the screams about fragmentation they will get. What’s Marshmallow on, after 1 year? 15%? They can’t be stupid enough to deliver another incompatible instance, no developer is going to happy with the OS being that much of a moving target. Rather I think API 25 is going to be the “Nexus only” target, a superset of 7.0 that’s not generally available. Most developers will be expected to keep their targets on API 24. Maybe… Read more »