The older Google Nexus 4 can get a taste of the latest Android OS version, as Android 7.0 Nougat has just been unofficially ported to the device.
Google released Android 7.0 Nougat earlier this week, but it's no big surprise that older devices such as the Nexus 4, Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 (2013) did not get invited to the party.
Nevertheless, the lucrative developer community is always coming up with solutions to such "inconveniences" and the lack of official support is not going to stop Nougat from reaching older devices.
After seeing the Nexus 5 get the unofficial treat, the Nexus 7 (2013) got an unofficial Nougat ROM a few days ago, and it appears it's now the LG Nexus 4's turn. While still an unofficial port, this build does bring a taste of the latest OS to the old handset.
The folks over at XDA Developers found a way to push the nearly 4-year-old Nexus 4 to the brand new Android 7.0 Nougat despite its rather antiquated specs. As a reminder, the Nexus 4 packs a Snapdragon S4 processor, 2 GB of RAM and a 2,100 mAh battery — not exactly in line with the powerful flagships of more recent times.
As expected with an unofficial build, the Android Nougat port to the Nexus 4 is not exactly fully functional, as it still has some limitations. Then again, unofficial builds are rarely smooth sailing. With the Nexus 4, the Nougat port faces various crashes and some features such as the GPS, NFC and accelerometer are not working.
On the bright side, Wi-Fi, hardware acceleration and Bluetooth connectivity seem to be working just fine.
"What's up guys, even though this Nexus 4 is 4 years old, (pun not intended XD) it's still holding up strong and in time for some Nougat treatment," notes Zaclimon, an XDA recognized contributor.
As with the Nexus 7 (2013) Nougat ROM, this is not a daily driver and users are warned that should they choose to flash, they do so at their own risk. At the same time, Zaclimon warns that a "ton" of crashes are bound to happen.
The port is still in development and it should get better in time, but for now it's still promising to see the old Nexus 4 can handle the very latest Android OS.
If you have an old Nexus 4 around and would like to try out this Nougat ROM, follow the instructions from XDA and leave us a comment afterward to tell us how it all worked out.
