Android Nougat For The Nexus 6P Now Available

It took a bit longer than expected but Google has finally released the factory image and OTA image for Android Nougat for the Nexus 6P.  With the release of these images, it means that 6P owners can expect to start seeing Nougat drop onto their devices over the course of the next few days and weeks.  The update is a big one at over 900MB so you will want to make sure you phone is connected to Wi-Fi and fully charged before you start the update process.  All in, it will take about 30 minutes from download to install to reboot.

As for why it took this long to get the update out is a point of speculation.

New Android-Like Hangouts Chrome Extension Now Available

If you are a heavy user of Hangouts and use Chrome or Chrome OS, there is a new extension and app for you to check out.  Last week Google announced that a new, Android-like Chrome extension for Hangouts would be coming out with the aim to improve performance and the overall look and feel of the UI.  Achievement unlocked as both the extension and the app look far better than the old style and both perform exceptionally well.

The new extension can be found in the Chrome Web Store which allows you to run Hangouts while you are using your Chrome browser regardless of platform.  This is what the majority of users will want, especially Chrome OS users, as the browser tends to stay open all the time.

Twitter Direct Messages Now Showing A Read Receipt

Twitter has rolled out a behind-the-scenes update to Direct Messages that now shows you the date and time when your message was read.  The update, which does not require any sort of app update on your Android devices, brings Direct Messages more in line with other Instant Messaging applications like Facebook Messenger.  Now, instead of wondering if your message has been read, you will see in the message thread the date (if it is not today) and time that the message was read.

Wi-Fi Assistant Now Hitting Nexus Devices

A few weeks ago, Google announced that Wi-Fi Assistant would be coming to all Nexus phones over the course of the coming weeks.  That appears to have started happening.  Several Nexus owners are now seeing the option in their settings and are now able to take advantage of the data saving feature.   Wi-Fi Assistant to this point has been exclusive to Project Fi users which allows their devices to automatically connect to Google approved Wi-Fi hotspots securely and without any user intervention.  It is a huge benefit to Fi frankly as it saves on data plan usage.  It will connect your phone to Wi-Fi without you even knowing it.  Now all Nexus owners will benefit from the feature.  The good news is that it is all a back end change and there is no update required on your phone.

September Android Security Update OTAs Starting to Arrive

Just two days after their initial release, the Over-the-Air (OTA) updates for the September Android Security Update are starting to hit Nexus devices.  While they are sporadic at this early point, owners of Nexus devices should start looking for the updates to hit their devices over the course of the next week.  In my case, my Nexus 6 (running Marshmallow) was updated while my Nexus 9 (running Nougat) also received its update to the 09-06-2016 patch.

It should be noted that not all Nexus devices have received their Nougat update yet so it is possible that you could get a double OTA update over the course of the next week or two.

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