Motorola Mobility released the kernel source code for a build of Android 7.1.1 Nougat designed for the Moto Z Play, with the company publishing its work on GitHub earlier this week. The Lenovo-owned original equipment manufacturer thus publicized the source code of an update which it started rolling out almost four months ago, providing independent developers and tinkerers with additional resources that should help them create better and more consistent software experiences for its 2016 Android smartphone.
Being released just over a year ago as a modular mid-range handset, the Moto Z Play is still a capable device attractive to a variety of consumers who are looking for a reliable daily driver which doesn’t require them to break the bank. While the phone ran Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, it later received several major operating system upgrades bringing it to the current version of Google’s open-source platform and is also set to be part of Motorola’s Android 8.0 Oreo rollout which is scheduled to begin in the near future. Just like it was the case with the previous OS builds for the Moto Z Play, the kernel source code of the one based on Android 8.0 Oreo should also be publicized by the company after the software package is distributed to all eligible devices, but no firm availability windows have yet been disclosed by the OEM. The company’s 2017 devices like the Moto Z2 Play and Moto Z2 Force are likely to be prioritized as far as the availability of Android 8.0 Oreo is concerned, meaning that the original Moto Z Play may not receive its software jump until the first quarter of 2018. If Motorola subsequently sticks to a similar release schedule for kernel source codes, the independent Android developer community may wait for more than half a year until the code detailing Android 8.0 Oreo for the Moto Z Play is released.
Motorola has been relatively busy over the course of this year, introducing a dozen Android devices covering all price points and major markets around the world. The OEM’s latest and greatest handset came in the form of the Moto Z2 Play this summer, with Lenovo’s subsidiary seemingly remaining adamant to continue pushing modularity as one of the main selling points of its mobile products.
7.1.1 Kernel Source For The Moto Z Play