Google has announced Android 7.1 Nougat with exciting new features for both Developers and Consumers. Now you can experience being a developer with the updated developer preview of the latest version of Android. Nougat is an incremental release for Android 7.0 and comes with Daydream VR support and A/B system updates to app shortcuts and image keyboard support.
The platform is the best secure way to test your apps for compatibility, optimize, remove bugs, and enhance its performance.
Nougat 7.1 delivers a lot of new features and capabilities to improve your attachment with your apps, such as:
- Shortcuts API for apps: Lessen the distance between your apps by providing 5 different shortcuts allowing you to reach instantly deep into your app.
- Circular app icons: this lets your app look good with circular icons matching pixels and launchers of your device.
- Enhanced wallpaper metadata: Allows choosing live wallpaper to add enhanced features like the label, description, author, context URL, etc.
- For developers, the image keyboard support for customized writing feel through images, animated GIFs, stickers, etc, and storage manager intent to flush junk files and clean up are also available. The API for Image keyboard support is available in the support library.
- Nougat provides a variety of APIs to support multi-endpoint calling and telephony configuration options for carrier providers and calling apps
Initially, the developer preview supports Nexus 5X, 6P and pixel devices but will soon be rolling out together with Android 7.1.x to other Android devices in early December. Updating to Developer preview requires enrolling your device on Android Beta.
Google is currently working with OEMs hoping to provide an Android 7.1 OTA update soon to consumers.
