Android 7.1 Nougat Tipped to Bring Nexus Launcher, Google Assistant in October

Google started rolling out the final build of Android 7.0 Nougat on eligible Nexus devices, and alongside it even announced that it is working on the first maintenance release (MR) of the new OS. The tech giant announced that the updates will be released quarterly, and now we some more clarity on what MR1 will be called, and all the new things it will bring.

Google is looking to continue its Android Beta Program and release developer preview of new versions, before releasing a commercial stable update. A Monday post from XDA Developers' Nate Benis indicates that Nexus Launcher, Google Assistant, and even the redesigned Android buttons will be released in Android Nougat MR1, and not Android 7.0 Nougat. The update will be released alongside Google's platform lead devices, which till date have featured Nexus branding. However, Gadgets 360 has learnt that this year Google is doing something different, and will use no Nexus branding at all. The next platform lead devices from the company are tipped to be Google-branded premium devices with exclusive features that will position them to take on the iPhone.

Benis says, "With Google's announcements today of doing quarterly maintenance releases leads me to believe the upcoming Nexus devices are going to be launched alongside MR1. Probably around the same time they were last year. Current version of Android N that is being pushed to Nexus devices is based on developer preview 5 and does not have any of the "proprietary features android police and myself have been leaking" expect a developer preview of MR1 with these changes soon."

(Also see: Android Nougat: How to Download and Install Right Now

Android Police also reports that Google may be planning to bump the version number up to 7.1 with the first maintenance update. Considering the biggest update that Marshmallow took it to v6.0.1, v7.1 would be a big update with significant changes. In any case, Benis has hinted that Google will stick to tradition and launch its platform lead devices in October, alongside the big Android 7.1 Nougat update. The Google-branded smartphones are expected to run on Android 7.1 Nougat out-of-the-box, and therefore Google has to bring some solid improvements to levitate its device credibility.

(Also see: Android 7.0 Nougat Is Here: 8 New Features You Need to Know About)

For now, only compatible device holders are getting the Android 7.0 Nougat update. If you haven't received it via OTA yet and want to manually download it, follow these steps.