Android 7.1 is upon us – at least it is if you count the oddball mix-and-match of having an "official" version of 7.1 on Pixel phones and a "developer preview" for a few other Nexus devices. Now that the Pixels are out, source code has also been released for Android 7.1.0 on AOSP. It comes as little surprise that we don't have an official release of the 7.1.1 source code that went out to Nexus devices since they are still considered developer previews, but they're probably not terribly different. So now it's time to dig through for some interesting and unusual hints about what unusual changes have been made in this version that we didn't already know about.
Read MoreAOSP changelog posted for October's Nougat security updates
We're closing in on the announcement for new hardware that will carry the next version of Android, surely to be labeled 7.1. If you're looking for something to do in the meantime, we've put together some changelogs for the latest security updates, released just yesterday. The changelogs are a compilation of the messages left with each code commit to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
So far, five new builds have been posted, all for Android 7.0 Nougat. But the build numbers don't quite match up correctly with many of the firmware images. This could very possibly be a typo where the letters 'B' and 'R' may have been accidentally transposed.
Read More[Update: Changelogs posted for Nexus 6P] AOSP changelog posted for September's Nougat and Marshmallow security updates
September's security updates have been posted for most of the Nexus family, although a few devices are still mysteriously lagging behind on official Nougat images. The source code for most of the changes has been uploaded to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and we've generated a list of those changes for quick and easy viewing. The security bulletin already details most of the issues resolved this month, but there may be additional details lurking behind the code, so feel free to take a look around.
There are currently five new builds posted: three for Marshmallow (MMB30W, MOB31E, MTC20K) and two for Nougat (NRD90R, NRD90S).
Read MoreAOSP changelog posted for Android Nougat v7.0.0_r1 (NRD90M)
Android 7.0 Nougat is now truly official and available to those of us toting around certain Nexus devices. The hardware support will grow soon, and seemingly more quickly than versions in the past. We've already seen much of what 7.0 has to offer, but there's surely much more to discover.
As always, along with the brand new firmware comes some brand new source code. There's entirely too much for one person to look through, so we instead generate a log of the changes from a previous version to make it easier to read. This is how we get some idea of what the developers at Google have been up to while they were behind the curtain.
Read MoreAOSP changelogs posted for August security patches, developer preview 5, Wear preview 2, and a mystery Lollipop update for the Nexus 10
The odds are pretty good that if you're using a still-supported Nexus device, it's probably running August's security update by now. The factory images became available on Monday of last week and OTAs have been intermittently rolling out since then. The push to AOSP took a little longer and finally included a couple of other tags that were behind schedule. All of the changes have been compiled into their respective lists and the changelogs are ready for perusal.
Google's Android Security Bulletin details the potential vulnerabilities addressed by the August updates, but it's not too rare to see other small bug fixes and adjustments hidden among the changes.
Read MoreAOSP Changelogs Posted For July's Android 6.0.1 Security Updates
July's security updates went live a couple of days ago for all of the currently supported Nexus devices. The Pixel C is still unaccounted for, but it's not that unusual for it to lag a few days behind. There were some late-breaking updates for hardware drivers this month, which may also contribute to some delay on the Pixel C. In the meantime, there are plenty of changes to check out this month.
There are eight separate changelogs this month, but some of these are empty, created for Google's internal use. I've marked the ones that simply change a build number. As usual, Google's security bulletin contains explanations for most of the changes, but there are probably a couple of subtle bug fixes too.
Read MoreAOSP changelog posted for Android N Developer Preview 4
We've been keeping close tabs on the new features and adjustments made with each new developer preview of Android N, but there are obviously a boatload of other changes under the hood, many of them aren't obvious to the naked eye. That's where it can help to look deeper into the source code. It took a couple of weeks for the changes to be published to AOSP, but now that they are available, we've got a changelog ready for examination.
Read MoreAOSP Changelog Posted For Android N Developer Preview 3 And June's Android 6.0.1 Security Updates
June's security updates are now available for all of the currently supported Nexus (and Pixel C) devices. As usual, the code changes to go along with this month's new firmware have been uploaded to AOSP and we've got some changelogs to look through. While it's a bit late, Google also uploaded the code changes for N Developer Preview 3. As usual, this isn't a complete release of N, but mostly just the code for projects licensed under the GPL.
Google has already posted the security bulletin, which describes the lion's share of changes. Most of the issues resolved in this version have to do with vulnerabilities in Qualcomm drivers.
Read MoreThe Best Of AP
[Update: All Changelogs Posted] AOSP Changelogs Posted For May's Android 6.0.1 Security Updates
If you're curious about what has changed in the latest round of factory images for the Nexus family, there aren't many better ways to see the bare details than to browse through the changes exactly as they are written in the Android Open Source Project. We've generated changelogs from the available code commits from the latest round of updates. So far, this only includes the MOB30G-MOB30J builds, but the rest should be coming soon.
May's changelogs are pretty brief, owing basically all of their contents to the security-related fixes.
Read MorePartial AOSP Changelog Posted For Android N Developer Preview 2
The second round of N Preview factory images and OTAs are out and most people are updated. The team at Android Police HQ is still digging around to find all of the new additions, but in the meantime, there are a number of changes buried right in the source code. Google posted some of the source code for 'N' to the Android Open Source Project, and we've built a changelog from that commit history.
During the preview stage of a new OS version, Google usually limits the code it releases to just GPL-licensed projects. Unfortunately, that excludes most of the parts of Android where the big new features and UI changes would have happened, but don't count out those changes as boring, they can still contain quite a few interesting details if you look a bit closer.
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