After all the speculations and guesses finally Google names Android N, and it goes by Android Nougat. The name is revealed after thousands of people suggested various names through an online entry.
Many speculated it to be ‘Nutella’, but given the fact that Nutella is trademarked possibly ruled out the name. They could have partnered with Nutella like they did with Kitkat. But, Google officials decided to do otherwise. Some voiced their disappointment given the fact that many don’t know what a nougat is. And some, in fact, found it annoying. Anyways we now have a name for our new Android version and Google is still continuing with the sweet theme, which started from the Android version 1.5 names as the cupcake.
While everyone is pretty excited about the name, a sneak peek into the features would get you even more excited. This definitely is not an exhaustive list, but these are my personal favorites.
So what should you look for in Android N?
As per Google, the most exciting feature is the multi-window support. We waited for it long enough, didn’t we?
Well, if you own one of those premium phones from Samsung Galaxy or if your device is rooted, you probably have the split screen option, but it’s still not available for most phones and having it in built-in Android would be so cool!
Next in line is our favorite notification shade. Most of us wake up to millions of notifications and forget to action most of it, while catching up on that extra minute of sleep or for that important meeting. But now you with android N, you will have bundled up notifications and what’s even cooler than that is now you can reply to your messages from the notification shade.
If we go by reports, one feature that Google is continuously working on is Doze. If you already have Marshmallow, you will notice how the battery saver turns on when the phone is stationary. This definitely helps while you are on the go and not using your phone. It could save that extra bit of battery for last minute. Now with Android Nougat, the battery saver will be at the moment the screen is turned off. Particularly for a person like me who keeps forgetting to put my phone in charge, this, my friend, is a very welcoming news!
The settings menu, though it didn’t need much of an update. I guess most of us are happy with the settings menu the way it was, but an advanced version is never a bad option. Now you can access what your Bluetooth status is, or what’s your data usage or how much RAM you are using, without actually delving deeper into the settings menu.
I am looking forward to these updates, and I am sure you are too! So when do you think we will get it on our phones?
Well, this year Google has been way ahead of time if we follow the timeline from last two years. The first announcement of Android N was made sometime during March. Whereas in last two years the announcement was made during the I/O in May.
So do you think you would be able to get the version on your Android devices earlier than usual?
Honestly, if you ask me, I doubt that! Why am I being so cynical? Because for the fact that most of us don’t even has marshmallow on our phones yet. Android Marshmallow is currently running only on 10 percent of the Android-powered phones. This 10 percent mostly consists of phones launched after October. Older phones getting an update are even lower.
Wondering why?
Well, it has a lot to do with the way an Android ecosystem works. When Google releases a new version, they distribute the code among phone makers. It is the phone manufacturers’ responsibility to roll it out. Google only ensures the update in all Nexus phones, which is why Nexus users get the update immediately after the Beta version is tested and the Android version is officially launched.
The phone makers have their own reasons to withhold the release though. First of all with so many Android phones and so many different models, it takes a lot of time and resource to test and modify the latest version to suit all models they manufacture. It’s even harder for low-end manufacturers. Bigger manufacturers don’t do it either to differentiate their higher end phones or to launch a new phone in the market with a premium pricing.
Another reason is consumers! Though everyone is so excited about the launch of a new Android version, practically they don’t care. What most people look in a phone is a better processor, a better screen, sound, RAM, etc. and not the fact that how likely and how quickly their phone is going to get an update.
So next time my friends, you should also add ‘latest Android update or possibility of a future update’ to your must-have list when checking for a new phone.
Now let’s just hope, we get Android Nougat as soon as possible!
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