Google announces Android 7.1.2 Nougat beta; Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 won't get it

Today, Google announced the next maintenance release of Android, version 7.1.2 Nougat. As the version number indicates, there won't be any new front-facing features; instead, it will focus on "refinements", including "a number of bugfixes [sic] and optimizations".

There are a few things to be aware of before installing this build. Here are some general advisories:

This public beta release may have various stability, battery, or performance issues on supported devices.

Some apps may not function as expected on this public beta release. This includes Google’s apps as well as other apps.

This public beta release is Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) approved on supported devices. Apps that depend on CTS approved builds should work normally on these devices (Android Pay, for example).

This public beta release is available on these supported devices: Pixel and Pixel XL, Nexus Player, and Pixel C.

Google told us that the 6P will be supported at a later date. As for the 5X, it was listed as supported in the blog post, but not in the release notes. The company told us that it should be supported now, but we'll update this article if anything changes.

Here are the known issues:

General

On Pixel C devices, Quick Settings may not be visible in some cases.

Pixel launcher may crash when trying to search apps while a physical keyboard is connected.

Occasional UI hangs

Wi-Fi stability issues

Setup wizard

Black screen during transition from boot animation to Setup wizard.

Wi-Fi is turned off after completing Setup, even if user has chosen to set up the device using mobile data.

SMS messages may not be restored during device-to-device transfer.

Unfortunately, there's also some bad news. In a statement to Neowin, Google has confirmed that the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 will not receive this update; however, both devices will continue to receive security updates for the time being. This shouldn't be surprising news to anyone, as Google only guaranteed updates through October, 2016 for both devices.

If you want to enroll your device in the Android Beta Program, you can do so right here. Google says that it's planning to have a final release of Android 7.1.2 Nougat in "just a couple months", and it will be available for the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and Nexus Player.