Android 7.1 Nougat developer preview coming later this month

Google has just announced that a developer preview of Android 7.1 Nougat will be released before the end of the month. At the Pixel and Pixel XL launch, it was revealed that these two new handset would be running this version of Android, but a developer preview was pencilled in for some time before the end of the year.

The release schedule seems to have been sped up slightly, and this is something that will please developers and end users alike. Google promises dev that "we’ll give you access to this update so you can start getting your apps ready". Among the changes are new APIs (API level 25), and -- of course -- it's Google's own handsets that are in line to get the update first.

The Developer Preview of Android 7.1 Nougat will be made available to the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and Pixel C. Google says that it will then extend "to other supported devices by the end of the preview". The final release is due in early December, and at this point update will roll out to Nexus 6, 5X, 6P, 9, Player, Pixel C, supported Android One devices, and Pixel and Pixel XL devices.

As this is not a major release, the number of changes from Android 7.0 Nougat is not overwhelmingly long, but Google does pick out a number of highlights:

• App shortcuts API -- lets you surface key actions directly in the launcher and take your users deep into your app instantly. You can create up to 5 shortcuts, either statically or dynamically.
• Circular app icons support -- lets you provide great-looking rounded icon resources that match the look of Pixel and other launchers.
• Enhanced wallpaper metadata -- lets you provide metadata about your wallpapers to any picker displaying the wallpapers as a preview. You can show existing metadata such as label, description, and author, as well as a new context URL and title to link to more information.

• Image keyboard support -- expands the types of content that users can enter from their keyboards, letting them express themselves through custom stickers, animated gifs, and more. Apps can tell the keyboard what types of content they accept, and keyboards can deliver all of the images and other content that they offer to the user. For broad compatibility, this API will also be available in the support library.
• Storage manager Intent -- lets an app take the user directly to a new Settings screen to clear unused files and free up storage space on the device.