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Motorola's flagship devices still get updates relatively quickly, but its budget phones lag behind quite a bit. For example, the Verizon Moto G4 Play was just updated from Android 6.0 to 7.1.1 earlier this month, shortly after the international variants received it. Now Motorola has released the kernel source code for the G4 Play's Nougat update.
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It has been a very long time since we last covered Android x86, but the project is still alive and kicking. If you're not familiar with it, Android x86 is a port of Android to x86-based PCs and Macs, with almost no changes to the interface (for better or for worse). The first stable port of Android 7.1 has just been released, so you can enjoy Nougat on your PC or virtual machine of choice.
Lenovo is one of the few major Android manufacturers still invested in tablets, and the company's 'Tab 4' lineup has been highly anticipated by fans. Both 10.1-inch and 8-inch models have shown up for pre-order online, with the former costing $129 and the latter costing $179.Both tablets have Snapdragon 425 processors, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot. They both ship with Android 7.1 out of the box, but considering Lenovo's track record, don't expect fast updates. The resolution on both models is 1280x800, which will look decent on the 8" screen but not great on the 10" display. Both tablets have a front-facing 2MP camera and a 5MP back camera.Newegg says both tablets will ship on June 30, while Amazon says they will ship "within 2 to 5 weeks." You can find the product links below, and let us know in the comments if you see them anywhere else.
Google is rolling out new Android builds for its devices today, but it'll take a few days for the OTA to reach your device the old-fashioned way. If you want, the system images and OTA files are already available for sideloading. Pixel owners who have been experiencing freezes might not want to wait. Google says this update should address that problem.
Now that Android O is on the horizon, it seems like many phone manufacturers have opted to completely ignore Android 7.1. A few devices have been updated, such as the OnePlus 3/3T and Nextbit Robin, but not many. Now it seems the Moto Z Play has become Motorola's first phone (in the US, at least) to get Android 7.1.
The Nextbit Robin was a good value when it was released, and an even greater value for those who have bought it on sale recently. Many, including myself, didn't expect to see major software updates once Nextbit was purchased by Razer, but the phone is surprisingly now receiving an update to Android 7.1.1.
Computex is a pretty exciting event for PC enthusiasts - already we've seen major new product launches from chipset companies and PC manufacturers. But there are a few other tech products being shown off at the event not related to computers. The newest entry in ASUS' line of Android tablets, the Zenpad 3S 8.0, has been spotted on the show floor.
Nexus 6 owners just can't seem to catch a break. It took longer than usual for it to receive 7.0 Nougat, and 7.1.1 took a while too. Then several bugs on 7.1.1 were discovered, but they were fixed in the recent March security update. Oh, but that update temporarily broke Android Pay.
Emojis, there are thousands of them and yet you always seem to be looking for that one emoji that doesn't exist yet. Did we have to wait this long to have a facepalm or crossed fingers? I guess we did. Anyway, let's skip the pointless blabber and go straight to the point: WhatsApp has new emojis on Android.
The Quick Settings Tile API was added as part of Android 7.0 Nougat to allow developers and third-party apps to make use of the drop-down toggles, which are one of the easiest and most user-facing ways of quickly changing settings on Android. Over the many months since it's been available, the API has been used extensively to add many options and shortcuts to the Quick Settings, some we have expected and others are a little more eccentric.
iHeartRadio has been on a roll with new features over the past few weeks. It introduced paid Plus and All Access plans and promised support for Google Home, and now the service is ready for more novelty.
WhatsApp Nougat users, the time has come, the day is here — well, it was here a couple of days ago, but it was the weekend and I was busy sweeping the floors of my new apartment, so I had to delay coverage... priorities y'know. Anyway, for all of you who have been lamenting the poor notification situation on Nougat, cried over the fact that you only see the most recent message making the whole "notification" thing completely useless, things are looking out.
Google released a new version of its Compatibility Definition Document for Android earlier this week, and while most of the changes are very, very minor, one did stand out to me in the section on notifications. Specifically, Google has singled out manufacturers who in any way obstruct or remove Android's native notification actions, replies, settings access, and the bundling of notifications. The latest document forbids such practices, stating that OEMs must comply with Google's implementations of the features in AOSP. Here is the relevant section:
Back in November, Samsung started beta testing the Nougat update for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Since then, it has rolled out several updates to squash bugs and answer feedback, but it looks like the beta test is now over. The team posted a notice to those who were participating in the beta program saying that it will end on December 30 at 24:00 (so December 31 at 00:00).
Odds are you have the Play Store on your home screen for easy accessibility, but have you ever considered not having it? I don't mean you should dig into the app drawer every time you need to open the store, but perhaps the regular Play Store link isn't the most efficient. If you're on Android 7.1, maybe you ought to replace it with the My Apps shortcut.
CyanogenMod 14.1 nightlies have been rolling out for more than a week now and bringing Android 7.1 to several devices including Nexuses and other phones and tablets that don't have the official update yet and likely won't for many more months.
There was a time some years ago that CyanogenMod was the surest way to get the latest build of Android on your phone. It's a little slower these days, but development continues to chug along. The CM team hopes to roll out the first nightly builds of CM14.1 later tonight, but not all devices will be supported right away.
One of the features buried in Android N while it was still a Developer Preview was seamless update. Just like Chromebooks, Android devices would be able to download new OTAs in the background, install them while they're still running, and only switch to the updated software after a reboot. We later learned that existing Nexus devices would not benefit from the option since they didn't have the partitioning necessary to manage the technical feat of having two firmwares installed at the same time, even if temporarily.
Twitter's stable release implements app shortcuts, multi-window, and rounded icons on Android Nougat
A couple of weeks ago, Twitter updated its alpha release version to add several of Android Nougat's features. Now these options have made it onto the stable release version of the app, so you no longer need to live on the bleeding edge to benefit from them.