Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge Android Nougat Update Will Vary Between 7.0 And 7.1.1 In Different Regions: What About Note 5 And S6 Variants?

James Geddes, Tech Times 24 December 2016, 11:12 pm

A new report indicates that Samsung will be rolling out different versions of its upcoming Android 7.0 Nougat update to different models of the company's flagship Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge in different regions of the world. While some owners of the smartphones will be getting the latest version of the update, Android 7.1.1 Nougat, others will be receiving the older version, Android 7.0 Nougat.

Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge To Receive Android 7.0 Nougat In Australia

The news was confirmed by a rep for Vodafone in Australia, which is one of the regions that is set to receive the older version, Android 7.0 Nougat, on both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

According to the report, in a response to a customer inquiry as to whether customers will be upgraded directly to the latest version of the Android 7.1.1 Nougat update, the rep wrote the following:

"I've checked in with the right people for you @chri5tin3 and @shauno100, and they've confirmed the references to Samsung skipping 7.0 refer to other markets and not to Australia. We're definitely testing 7.0 for both devices."

The customer who had inquired about the upgrade status replied that the decision was "odd and unfair."

Other Regions And Note 5 And S6 Variants

We recently reported that Samsung, which has been running an Android 7.0 Nougat beta program for interested owners of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, had confirmed to a beta tester in the program that the smartphone maker would in fact be offering Android 7.1.1 Nougat upon official release of the update.

Recently, Vodafone announced via its dedicated software upgrade page that the Android 7.0 Nougat update had been officially moved into carrier testing by the network, indicating that release of the upgrade was imminent.

Observers anticipated that, based on the prior guidance from Samsung, the released version would be Android 7.1.1 Nougat. That appears not to be the case, however, at least in Australia, and it now remains unclear as to which models in which other world regions will be receiving which build, either Android 7.0 Nougat or Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

It also remains unclear what the status is for the older flagship smartphones expected to receive the Android 7.0 Nougat upgrade following the rollout to the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, namely the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, S6 edge, and S6 edge Plus.

It was initially assumed that those models would follow in the footsteps of the S7 models and also skip directly to Android 7.1.1 Nougat, but now that seems uncertain, and may also vary by model and region.

When asked directly about the status of the older Galaxy models, the rep replied that "we've got no news to share about rolling out the Android N update to older handsets," but encouraged the customer to revisit the support page for more information in the future.