Android 5 Nougat developer preview 7.0 is here available from today to update your Nexus device manually or via OTA images. Google has also taken the opportunity to show that the preview 5 is the prelude to the launch of Android 7.0 Nougat. The next major update coming to supported Nexus devices will be the official Android 7.0 OTA.
So for the month of August we will have Android 7.0 Nougat here if everything goes smoothly and no error found that hinders the launch of this new major version that will come with some notable changes and that, in short, puts the finishing touch on what has been Android 6.0 Marshmallow. In this preview 5 some improvements have also been included that we detail below for those of you who are lucky enough to have one of those Nexus that can use this preview 5.
What's new in Android 5 Nougat developer preview 7.0
Substantially this new preview comes for developersas outlined below in the new API level 24 for application testing.
This preview 5 for developers includes the almost finished system images for supported devices and Android emulator. The images include the final APIs for the upcoming Android N platform. After testing is complete, apps using API level 24 can be published to the Google Play Store, on alpha, beta, and production channels.
Known issues
Stability
- Users could find system instability how could be inopportune closings
Multi-window
- MapView would be empty when resizes in multi-window mode and it is not focused
Camera
- Apps could find intermittent problems when recording and playing video at 240 fps
Do not bother
- The "Do not disturb" mode would be set when the device is rebooted. To find a solution for this problem, you can delete existing rule for VR as follows: go to Settings> Sound> Do not disturb> Automatic Rules or Automatic rules and click on the trash button next to the VR rule
Screen zoom and multiple APKs in Google Play
- On devices that are in Developer Preview 5, Google Play services 9.0.83 incorrectly reports the current screen density more than the stable screen density. When screen zoom is enabled on those devices, it can cause Google Play to select a multi-APK version of the app that is designed for smaller screens. This problem will be fixed in the next version of Google Play Services.
Support for Vulkn and multiple APKs on Google Play
- On devices that are on Developer Preview 5, Google Play Services 9.0.83 currently reports Vulkan support but not version. This may cause Google Play to select a version of the multi-APK app that is designed for support for a lower version of Vulkan in devices with the support to a higher. Currently, the Google Play Store does not accept uploads of apps that use different versions of Vulkan. This support will be added to the Google Play Store in the future to all Android N devices that use Google Play Services 9.0.83, and will continue to receive versions of Apps that focus on basic Vulkan support.
Android Auto
- The version of Google Maps included in Developer Preview 5 (9.30) closes in an untimely way when used with Android Auto. This problem will be corrected in the next Google Maps update (9.31), expected in the next few weeks.
We don't really know when we will have the official version of the OTAs of Android 7.0 Nougat, as Google has not said anything at this time, but Android N is expected to be officially released before the end of next month. Based on the timeline shared by Google, you have until the end of September for the 7.0 release.
You can download Developer Preview 5 from here, and the other from this link.