A month ago, Google released Android 7.1.1 Nougat, the very latest version of its OS, making it available to many of its Nexus and Pixel devices, along with the General Mobile 4G, an Android One handset. However, while the Nexus 6 was on that list, there was no sign of the update for the device, and it wasn"t until last week that Google revealed that a "last-minute bug" was responsible for the delay.
The company said that it would release the update for the Nexus 6 in early January, and it looks like it"s finally preparing to do just that. Android Police spotted that the system image files and the OTA update files are now live on Google"s servers (under build N6F26Q).
The update isn"t yet rolling out to Nexus 6 handsets over-the-air but with the files locked and loaded, it seems only a matter of time before Google hits the big red button to begin the rollout.
The Nexus 6 was also left behind when Google released its last OS update. The company made Android 7.0 Nougat available to many of its devices on August 22, 2016, but it didn"t make its way to the Nexus 6 until early October. Given the age of the device - it originally launched in October 2014, now putting it beyond Google"s guaranteed two-year OS support timeframe - Android 7.1.1 is likely to be the last update that it officially receives.
Source: System image / OTA binary image files for Nexus 6 (Google Developers) via Android Police