After weeks of testing, Samsung finally started rolling out the official Android 7.0 Nougat update earlier this week for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge smartphones. The Android 7.0 Nougat rollout reportedly started last week itself though Samsung has only now confirmed the update. Apart from the Android 7.0 Nougat update for Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, the company also confirmed plans to expand the Android 7.0 Nougat update to older devices.
Samsung in a statement revealed that Android 7.0 Nougat update for the Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and S6 Edge+, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy A3, and Galaxy A8 smartphones will start within the first half of this year. The South Korean company also added that the Galaxy Tab A with S Pen and Galaxy Tab S2 (LTE unlock) tablets will also receive the Nougat update around the same time.
With the brand new Android Nougat update, Samsung will introduce some major UX changes including new Quick panel and notifications, multi-window, performance mode, and Samsung Pass. The company is expected to bring all the new features to older devices as well.
The new Quick Panel will now feature cleaner aesthetics as the company has removed the titles from the icons in the panel's first depth. The second depth will include icons organised into groups of nine for making it easier to locate. Notifications, on the other hand, will now be grouped to display information more clearly and also support Direct Reply.
The Multi Window feature will allow users to work in split screen view while the latest update will let users access up to seven apps at the same time. The new Performance Mode will let users optimise the smartphone and will now include four modes to choose from including Optimised mode to extend battery life and enhance speed; Game mode to provide functions such as Game Launcher and Game Tools; Entertainment mode to enhance sound and image quality, and a High Performance mode that will enable the highest quality display settings possible.
The Android 7.0 Nougat update also brings Samsung Pass feature that works as a master key for website login on Samsung Internet. Samsung confirms that the Samsung Pass will be expanded to support mobile banking app integration.
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