There's good news for owners of Samsung's latest flagship smartphones the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, as new reports indicate that the Android Nougat software upgrade for the devices is imminent.
That also means good news for owners of Samsung's former flagships like the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, and Galaxy S6 edge Plus, which should be next in line to receive the Android Nougat update.
Samsung Galaxy S7 And S7 Edge Beta Testing Program Ending
We reported back in November that Samsung was in the process of preparing the Android 7.0 Nougat update for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge and had begun a Galaxy Beta Program of the software for owners of the devices. Now, reports indicate that the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge Galaxy Beta Program is coming to a close, which means that Samsung should be releasing the final build of Android 7.0 Nougat to all users of the smartphones shortly.
Samsung delivered the fifth build of Android Nougat to participants in the beta program a few days ago, and new reports indicate that that is indeed the last beta version for testers before the final build is released to the public.
While the time frame for that release has not been firmly established, it shouldn't be more than several weeks at the latest before Samsung pushes out its Android 7.0 Nougat software upgrade to Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge owners. That's also in line with Verizon's earlier guidance that its customers who use the devices would be receiving the Android Nougat update in January. Vodafone Australia also moved the smartphones into the carrier testing phase recently, another indicator that the software upgrade is imminent.
Builds Vary For Different Models And Regions
As we previously reported, Samsung is expected to skip the earlier Android 7.0 Nougat build and move directly to a release of Android 7.1.1 Nougat. That information was released directly by a Samsung rep to a beta tester earlier this month.
However, a conflicting report, again courtesy of a Vodafone rep, indicated that not all models and regions will receive the later version upon release, and Australian Galaxy S7 and S7 edge owners will in fact get the earlier Android 7.0 Nougat build.
Former Flagships: Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, And Galaxy Note 5
Samsung has been following the usual protocol by planning the release of Android Nougat to users of its current flagship smartphones first, but with that release now around the corner, the company should now begin focusing on its former flagships, namely the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge Plus and Galaxy Note 5.
There's no official word on a timeline for those releases, but the sooner the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge Android Nougat updates make their way to users, the sooner owners of the former flagships can expect to receive their Android Nougat software updates.
