Android Nougat is still not what we expected

As an Android fan, I'm more than happy with each new version of the operating system. And as a proud owner of a Nexus 6P, I'm on the list of the first to receive the final update. I've been using Android Nougat's developer preview since April, but because I felt it added little value to my experience, I ended up going back to the previous version, Marshmallow.

Android is still late

What I noticed in Android Nougat is that some of the features are old, just features that manufacturers brought in a long time ago, such as:

  • Multi-window mode, which can already be found on LG G3 and Samsung Galaxy S5;
  • Block calls and sync the blocked list with a new device already seen on HTC devices;

There are also numerous optimizations for mobile data and power consumption, which are well implemented differently by manufacturers. Much of this update for Android Nougat is simply a cleanup job by Google to eliminate the clutter that was created with so many variations of the same features.

Android has not yet reached its peak

ANDROIDPIT battery 4
Android Nougat takes care of the battery, but not the rest / ANDROIDPIT

The update process has been optimized, but not in the right way

Once again Google has put a lot of love and care into the Android upgrade process, which was, say, broken. Future devices will have a second system partition to configure background updates.

When you restart your smartphone, the updated version of Android will start automatically. Even the "Apps are being optimized" notification, hated by many, because it takes too long to update all applications, disappears.

oneplus x android update installation reboot
You will never see this screen again / ANDROIDPIT

From the users' point of view, this is a fantastic feature, already for Android developers, Samsung, or carriers not quite. These required a kernel that is not associated with the user interface.

This will allow Google developers to release security updates faster and ensure that any adjustments made are flawlessly applied.

Backup Still Represents Achilles Heel

Another subject I would like to see more determination from Google about is backups. To date only a handful of applications use the Google Backup API, although it has been around for six years. And only apps optimized for Android 6.0 like "Target SDK Version" use this interface automatically.

This is one of the features that iOS users have laughed at Android users for years. I'm sick of having to transfer my SMS and reconfigure apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, Relay for Reddit, Feedly and others one by one on every test device we get here.

Google could be stricter and deny that apps from developers not using this API are available on the Play Store. Which brings me to the next point.

I need more security, not more resources

easy backup app
Really, backup apps suck / ANDROIDPIT

The apps aren't good enough yet

The Play Store was advertised as safe during Google I / O. Thanks to SafetyNets we will be protected: apps can be deleted remotely from any smartphone and also removed from the Play Store if they are considered harmful. Intelligent algorithms automatically detect such applications as pests based on specific behaviors.

It's good that Google leaves its malware in the hands of its machines. But what is missing is a way to report malicious applications to real people who manually choose bad and harmful applications, making it easier for the most inexperienced users to distinguish a legitimate flashlight app from a virus that fits like a flashlight app.

top apps are bad eric from
The Play Store must still be safe / ANDROIDPIT

These rogue apps are still ubiquitous on the Play Store, and most users are too lazy to read app permissions. Google should team up with humans and systematically warn developers to fix their apps within a certain period of time or take the app off the market.

I need more security, not more resources

The biggest security risk is the user himself, who has to ensure for himself that his data is secure. I still have a big trust issue with my beloved Android: the updates are still too late, the backup is still complicated, and every app in the Play Store could be a mistake. Google, please be brutal and repair your favorite child!

What about, do you agree with me?

. (tagsToTranslate) Play Store (t) Android N (t) features Android N (t) functions Android N (t) Android Nougat (t) Android 7.0 Nougat