14 DAY TRIAL // Galaxy Beta Program users have already received three Android 7.0 Nougat beta builds, but Samsung intends to bring the latest Nougat version to its flagship. The South Korean smartphone maker wants to update the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge directly to Android 7.1.1 Nougat.
Vodafone Australia (via The Android Soul) has recently updated its website to show that the update has currently entered the carrier testing stage. The website doesn’t mention which version is currently under testing; most likely it’s the Android Nougat 7.1.1 as Samsung previously suggested.
The update could roll out to the general public soon, and some rumors suggest that it could happen at the start of 2017, considering that Sammy wants to implement many new features and tools. One of these features is the Secure Folder found on Galaxy Note 7 units.
The Android Nougat 7.1.1 could support Secure Folder
The tool allowed users to safely store multimedia files in a locked folder, protected by the user’s fingerprint. Galaxy Note 7 owners could have used the iris scanner to unlock the folder and access stored files. Secure Folder might not be included in the update, and users would have to access the Galaxy store and download it as a separate app.
The official Android Nougat 7.1.1 OS update for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge smartphones could also include double-tap to wake feature and the possibility to send GIFs directly from the keyboard, but only for some selected apps.
Moreover, home screen app shortcuts would allow users to resume their work when launching an app so that they wouldn’t run in the background and use too much battery. A new set of Unicode 9 emojis will also be included, together with launch actions for supported apps. It remains to be seen when the update will reach end users, but it shouldn’t be long seeing how it’s already in carrier testing phase.