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What’s New In the Latest Android 7.1.1 Nougat Update?

Google recently released Android 7.1.1, an update to Android Nougat that brings a handful of new features and enhancements to performance and stability. The new update brings some great features that were initially included in Pixel, Pixel XL and Nexus devices such as Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Pixel C Tablet, and Nexus Player.

A little over two months after Android 7.0 Nougat release, Google released enhancements to Nougat by rolling out the developer preview of Android 7.1. It featured Google Assistant, unlimited original quality images and video upload, phone and chat support, filled nav button, wallpaper picker, as well as a camera app with Pro mode, Smartburst, video stabilization, and HDR + image exclusively for PIXEL AND PIXEL XL. Though 7.1 heavily focused on Pixel devices, it included some non-exclusive 7.1 features such as Night Light mode, improved touch displays, Daydream VR mode and seamless system update based on phone’s hardware.

However, the new features in Android 7.1.1 Nougat comes with a more inclusive emoji and a GIF keyboard. The company has created some new counterparts of the male emoji that will enable Android users to text an emoji of a female doctor, astronaut, among other career-oriented emojis.

The GIF keyboard which is currently available on Pixel will also be included in the updated Android devices. Users will now be able to search for GIFs directly, but only on supported apps such as Messenger, Allo, and Hangouts. However, the updates do not include any fun messaging features similar to iMessage.

Android 7.1.1 further comes with app shortcuts on the home screen. With a long press on the app icon, users can launch certain actions on compatible apps. The update also includes a treat for Pixel users; the devices will now have features like raise-to-wake and double-tap-to-wake through which the users can see their lock screen and notifications when they pick the phone up or tap the device’s display with two fingers to check alerts. These features were released last month in Canada.

All these features and improvements are included in Android 7.1.1 beta, but its final version will be released over several weeks. However, if you want to try Android 7.1.1, here’s a quick guide for installing it on your device. There are various ways of installing Android 7.1.1 Nougat on your device. The easiest of all is to simply wait for over-the-air notification on your Android device. If you haven’t received the notification yet, go through the following steps:

Step 1 – Join Android 7.1 Nougat Beta and enroll your Android device

Step 2 – Now download and install the factory image. Click here to see instructions.

Step 3 – Download and manually flash the OTA update files

Other installation method includes side-loading the updated files. This requires some know-how, but it won’t erase your device. Users on beta version cannot side-load from it to the official build without a full erase of your device.

Android Nougat was released on December 5th and in 2017 it will be available to everyone. Currently, Google is working on the next version i.e. Android 7.1.2, but as 2017 continues, other maintenance releases may be on their way. If you’re into enterprise Android application development or a freelance Android developer, then trying out the new Nougat update is a must. You can also share your Android 7.1.1 experience with us through the comments below.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Technoblogger .