The old Nexus 7, which launched back in 2013, can now have a bumpy ride on Android Nougat, as an unofficial AOSP has hit the scene.
Google officially launched Android 7.0 Nougat earlier this week on a number of Nexus devices, but the older Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 (2013) were not invited to the party. While unfortunate, this is not at all surprising considering that both the Nexus 5 and the 2013 Nexus 7 have roughly three years on the market and Google no longer supports them with new OS versions.
Nevertheless, leave it to the developer community to set the record straight and bring a Nougat flavor even to old Nexus devices. After the Nexus 5 got the treat, it's now time for the Nexus 7 (2013) to get the unofficial AOSP Nougat ROM.
The AOSP is now available for download, but be warned: this is not stable and "isn't by ANY means a daily driver," so interested Nexus 7 (2013) owners should be aware that if they decide to flash their device, they do so at their own risk.
Furthermore, keep in mind that this AOSP is still in the early stages of development, which means that users will and should expect to face a slew of crashes. Some elements are up and running and some are only half-working, but others are not working at all just yet.
For instance, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are working, but GApps are not quite there just yet. Google Play Services keeps crashing because of some location permission that is missing, so it is labeled as "semi-working" for now. Camera and audio, however, are not working.
Consequently, the AOSP is definitely not what you would use as a daily driver, but it can be of use for Nexus 7 (2013) owners who are curious about Android 7.0 Nougat. The port should get more improvements as the developer community keeps working on it, so it will likely get better with time and maybe even become stable enough to warrant daily, constant use.
Until then, however, tread these waters carefully. It may not be the perfect custom ROM, but right now, it's as close as the Nexus 7 (2013) gets to Android 7.0 Nougat.
If you're feeling bold and decide to try it out, follow the instructions from XDA Developers and drop by our comment section afterward to tell us how it all fares. If you're interested in more talks on the topic, there's a growing Reddit thread discussing the build.
