Google Releases Final Android 7.1 Developer Preview

On Tuesday, Google began pushing out the final developer preview for Android 7.1, which means we’ll be seeing a “stable” update to the new version of update fairly soon. As Google’s Dave Burke notes in the blog post, this is the last preview before they send out Android 7.1.1 to everyone. So they are skipping Android 7.1 and going straight to Android 7.1.1. This update is due to land in December for all supported devices, which includes the Pixel and Pixel XL.

But in the second developer preview, Google is bringing in some pretty small updates. Burke notes that this preview “is a release candidate for Android 7.1.1 that you can use to complete your app development and testing” and get it ready for the launch of Android 7.1.1 next month. This preview is basically the final release. The developer features and API’s on API level 25 are also included, those that were introduced in the first preview. Some of the developer features include round icon resources, app shorts and image keyboard support. What’s new with Developer Preview 2 is that the SDK build and platform tools in Android Studio have been updated. They have also made the latest version of the support library available for developers.

Google is urging developers to get their apps ready and they can actually be published to Google Play now. Using the Alpha, Beta or production channels in Google Play. So that those with Android 7.1.1 Developer Preview 2 on their device can help you test your app and/or game. The beta is going to be available for the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9 and Pixel C. There’s no word on whether the Nexus 6 or Nexus Player will get the update to Android 7.1.1 next month, but it’s worth noting that they did not get the first developer preview (nor did they get the Android 7.0 previews over the summer, but did get updated to Nougat).

If you’re interested in checking out the new developer preview and aren’t already part of the Android Beta Program, you can sign up at the link below. Once you sign up, you’ll get an OTA to this new developer preview pretty soon after. You can also opt to simply flash the whole factory image onto your device. But remember, that will erase all the data on your device.