Following the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, Samsung’s left with only two flagships this year, the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge. Given the circumstances, it’s not surprising that the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world is looking to offer the best software support for its latest premium devices, which includes pushing the Android 7.0 Nougat to them as soon as possible. While the Galaxy Beta Program app already started rolling out for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge owners in the United Kingdom last Friday, it seems that launch was a bit premature as the app has since been pulled from the Galaxy Apps store. Luckily, there’s no reason to despair because Samsung just announced that the Android 7.0 Nougat beta will officially start this week.
More specifically, the Galaxy Beta Program app will return to the Galaxy Apps store in the United Kingdom on Wednesday, November 9th. The beta program will be available to all British owners of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge until mid-December. As expected, participants will be able to directly send feedback to Samsung during this period. The South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer also pointed out that some performance and stability issues are to be expected as long as this OS version is still in beta. On the bright side, if you’re satisfied with the stock Nougat ROM for your device, you’ll be able to use it even after the official beta period is over, i.e. until Samsung pushes out an official Android 7.0 update for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge. It’s also possible to restore the official Marshmallow software during the beta period through Samsung’s Smart Switch PC tool. Speaking of which, Samsung recommends all participants to use this software to backup their data before installing the Nougat beta update.
If you’re located in the UK and are interested in trying out Nougat on your Samsung flagship as soon as possible, you can download the Galaxy Beta Programme app from the Galaxy Apps store from November 9th and use it to submit an application form to Samsung. The process is relatively straightforward: just tap the “Registration” option located on the top of the app’s main menu and fill in the details. After that’s said and done, you’ll have to wait for Samsung to confirm your application after which the Android 7.0 Nougat beta update will be available from the Settings menu of your device. Note that this program is only available to owners of unlocked variants of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge. In case you sign up for the program but change your mind before Samsung approves your application, you can opt out by tapping the “Deregister” option in the Galaxy Beta Program app.
Unfortunately, there’s still no word on whether Samsung is planning to expand this beta program to other territories or how many UK users it plans on including. On the bright side, the fact that the testing period is ending in mid-December suggests that the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge may be getting an official upgrade to Nougat before the end of the year.