Android 7.1 Nougat is bound to release very, very soon as its reference has appeared in the Google Play Developer Console.

Google MayAnnounce Android 7.1 Nougat As Early As Next Week

Google is all set to hold a major press event next week. On October 4th, to be more precise. At that very same event it's almost a given that the search company will announce two new phones - Pixel and Pixel XL. While those smartphones are rumored to pack top of the line hardware which any Nexus phone hasn't seen before,there will definitely be new software to drive all that muscle. That new software is likely to be Android 7.1 Nougat.

If we needed further confirmation that the new software might see the light soon, one developer discovered references to Android 7.1 on the Google Play Developer Console itself.

It appears when you open the Crashes and ANRs page of a given app and filter by Android version. It's worth mentioning that the list of Android versions isn't reflective of user installs, so it isn't affected by any custom version numbers, etc.

Edit: It also appears when filtering the Android version for app reviews.

It's uncertain at this point whether or not Android 7.1 willbe a huge update on top of the initial version of Nougat that was released to public a few weeks back. Of course, it will bring with it new developer APIs and whatnot, but it's unclear what will it bring to the table in terms of features. Will it drop the Google Launcher for the Pixel Launcher on all devices? It remains to be seen.

Wrap Up

Google's event next week is going to be a very interesting one. Apart from the Pixel phones, Google is rumored to announce a bunch of cool things, with a WiFi router being one of them. Unlike the OnHub, Google WiFi will be very affordable and users will have the option to connect several access points together in order to form a mesh network. Perfect for reaching all those dead spots at home or office.

It's also rumored that the company will announce a new OS which will bridge Chrome OS and Android together. The details are somewhat sparse at this point, but think Remix OS and you won't be too far off.

Lastly, a 4K ready Chromecast will be announced at the event as well, bringing UHD content straight to our living room without much added bulk.

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