Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is over. After what was the launch of its preview during the last days of July, Android 7.0 Nougat is arriving on all compatible devices designated by Google. One of the first things to highlight about Nougat is its definitive recognition of the phablet format by incorporating functions that allow us to use the entire screen more efficiently, and obtain the long-desired multitasking mode, whose utility will be very important on smartphones and tablets alike.
Finally, Android reached its seventh major version. It is one month away from turning eight years old, and it is hard to believe how much it has grown. Of course, Android cannot rest on its laurels. Technology changes at every moment, mobile devices evolve, user demands grow, and the operating system will always need to be up to the task. Some aspects of Android still need to find a definitive solution, starting with the enormous levels of fragmentation on the platform, and the lack of updates on most devices. The task will not be easy, but Android has been facing its demons one by one, and if we consider elements like its adoption level and compatibility, it is indeed winning. Now it is Nougat's turn, which will seek to expand all the good things seen in Marshmallow, add highly requested features, and prepare better for the future.
Devices Left Behind
Let's start with the bitter pill: The new Android update will arrive on Nexus 6, 9, 5X, 6P, the Pixel C tablet, the Nexus Player, and the General Mobile 4G smartphone, one of the orphans of the Android One program. The trained eye will quickly notice that the Nexus 5 and the 2013 version of the Nexus 7 tablet are not on the list, and that is because they will not receive Nougat. The Nexus 5 has been discontinued for over a year, and the Nexus 7 has no direct successor (the Nexus 9 is larger and more expensive). Both devices will continue receiving security updates (it is estimated about 18 months of extended support), but the official route dictates that their last stop is Marshmallow. The story will be different once Cyanogenmod and other similar projects work their magic on Nougat, although that kind of change is already up to the user.
Multitasking: The Standout Feature
By far, the most important feature of Nougat is the incorporation of multitasking mode, which we can classify in two ways: Multiple windows and split screen. We open an app, make a long press on the Recent button (the square), choose an app from the list, and automatically the screen will split between both apps. Split screen mode will need a huge help from developers, because many apps are not compatible (after all, Nougat debuted yesterday), or behave erratically. Another tap on Recents allows you to change the app on the right side of the screen, while the app on the left works in a kind of 'foreground' so to speak, and remains static. Another long press on Recents takes us out of split screen, but that is not all: With a simple extra tap we invoke multiple windows, and the chosen app returns to the front just by dragging it to one side or the other of the screen. Chrome supports the new multitasking mode, however, the tab separation is activated from within the browser. Split screen lets us change the size that each app occupies on the screen, and if we run the slider all the way to one end, we close the app.
A More Polished Notification System
Another point that has received a lot of attention in Nougat is the notification system. In Marshmallow, some users basically have to guess which app is presenting the notification, and the icons are too small. In Nougat we find a much more polished presentation, which completely abandons the 'card format' to better use the width of the screen, the icons are larger, the contact circle is now on the right side, and the name of the app responsible for the notification appears clearly. The way Nougat can group notifications seems to borrow two or three tricks from the Android Wear manual. It is curious that an idea designed with ultra-compact screens in mind finds a place on current phablets, but its execution in Nougat is quite good.
Performance and Technical Improvements
Finally, we cannot forget all those technical details that seek to get the most out of our devices. Nougat incorporates compatibility with the Vulkan API, a new JIT compiler that reduces code size by 50 percent (according to Google) and speeds up app installation by 75 percent, the new Data Saver mode that helps reduce data consumption in certain apps, increased pressure on the Doze function to extend battery life, a much more fluid update dynamic thanks to a special partition (similar to what is seen in Chrome OS), and in the future, Daydream: The official virtual reality platform.
Despite the occasional sharp edge in multitasking mode, Android Nougat feels like a step in the right direction. It is a pity that less than 15 percent of users are in a position to receive the update, but the best is yet to come. Perhaps next year, when Chrome OS and Android have a more intimate date.
