Google today announced Android 7.1.1 Developer Preview 2, which is meant to be a release candidate for the next version of the company"s mobile OS. To be clear, the firm is calling it the Android 7.1 Developer Preview, because with the exception of the Pixel and Pixel XL - which shipped with 7.1 - 7.1.1 will be the first taste of the minor update that most devices receive.
The news comes just over a month after the first Preview was released for the Nexus 5X, 6P, and Pixel C, with Google promising to open it up to more devices with the second build. Sadly, those "devices" are just one device, which is the Nexus 9. Sorry, Nexus 6 and Player owners.
Other than the added support for one tablet, there isn"t much that"s new. Google said the following:
With Developer Preview 2, we"re also updating the SDK build and platform tools in Android Studio, the Android 7.1.1 platform, and the API Level 25 emulator system images. The latest version of the support library (25.0.1) is also available for you to add image keyboard support, bottom navigation, and other features for devices running API Level 25 or earlier.
The company says that it will begin rolling out the final OTA updates in December, and when it does, it will push the update to AOSP (Android Open Source Project) so OEMs can begin working on getting it out to their devices. If you have one of those third-party devices, it will likely take a while, as two months after the release of 7.0 Nougat, it was on just 0.3% of Android devices.
Update: Google"s blog post says that Android 7.1.1 Nougat will roll out "to the full lineup of supported preview devices"; however, the company has confirmed to Neowin that the Nexus 6, Player, and General Mobile 4G will all see the update in early December.