Android 7.0 Nougat Updates For Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, S6 Family, Galaxy Note 5, Huawei Honor 8, LG G5 & Sony Xperia Z5
Samsung has officially started releasing the Android 7.0 Nougat update for its 2017 flagship devices, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Other Samsung Galaxy models are expected to get the latest Android firmware later this year. Also, smartphone companies like LG and Huawei have begun rolling out Nougat updates for their devices.
Via the Samsung Newsroom, the Korean tech giant revealed that the Android 7.0 Nougat update for Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge started rolling out on January 17. As to what users can get from installing this major firmware upgrade, Samsung shared the following.
“With the release of the update, new and improved features promise to let Galaxy users get more out of their devices. The update also enables faster speeds for downloading apps and system software updates.”
Aside from the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge models, the Nougat firmware is also coming to Samsung’s 2016 flag bearers, the Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and S6 Edge Plus, as well as the Note 5, Galaxy Tab A with S Pen, LTE unlocked model of Tab S2, Galaxy A3 and A8. As for the release timeframe, owners of these devices can expect to receive the Android 7.0 Nougat update within the first half of 2017, as Samsung promised.
So much for news pertaining to Samsung Galaxy models’ Nougat update, let’s now talk about the status of the firmware for other handset brands. For instance, the latest Nougat news from LG will definitely make LG G5 owners in the Philippines excited. LG Philippines announced through a Twitter post that the Nougat flavor, also the Android 7.0 version, is now available for their latest flagship model.
The Chinese phone maker Huawei is also doing its best to make the Nougat update readily available for the Honor 8 units in all parts of the world. The firmware was recently seen hitting Huawei Honor 8 units in Japan and now, the OTA update is also being pushed out for units located in other countries. According to GSM Arena, the firmware update that rolled out in Japan weighs less than 2GB but the one released worldwide seems to include more as it is 2.23GB-heavy. Besides the EMUI 5.0 first spotted on Mate 9, not much is known yet about the specific changes included in the Nougat firmware for the Huawei Honor 8.
While the Android 7.0 Nougat rolls out for certain smartphones, news revealed that Sony just recently stopped the firmware’s release for the Xperia Z5, Xperia Z4 Tablet and Xperia Z3+.
“The Nougat update, in the form of build number 32.3.A.0.372, started to roll earlier in the week, but is now nowhere to be found on Sony’s servers,” Xperia Blog noted. “We have received various reports of the update disappearing for people, where it was previously available,” the publication added.
The temporary suspension of the Nougat firmware update’s release was later confirmed by Sony, which provided the following statement citing the reasons for doing so.
“We were made aware of reports from some users experiencing inconsistencies related to audio playback via third-party apps and SD card encrypted data read performance, after upgrading to Android 7.0, Nougat. We’ve identified the root cause and are aiming to provide corrective firmware and re-commence the rollout as soon as possible.”
Android Nougat is the latest mobile operating system from Google. It brings in various changes and improvements to make the Android experience even better. One of its highlights is the Multi-window mode, a feature perfect for multitasking. This new functionality essentially lets the users run two applications at the same time.
There’s also the improved Doze mode, which helps compatible Android users save battery power while they are on the move. This means the device will be in low power usage whenever it is in one’s pocket or purse.
Learn more about the new features available in Android 7.0 Nougat OS by watching the video below from CNET’s YouTube channel:
[Featured Image by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Samsung]
