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Samsung Android 7.0 Nougat update: How to download the new software

The update brings with it a range of performance improvements and new features

Aatif Sulleyman
Thursday 19 January 2017 19:41 GMT
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The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are first in line for the software bump
The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are first in line for the software bump (REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Samsung has started rolling out Android 7.0 Nougat to its devices, with its flagship smartphones first in line for the software upgrade.

Owners of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge can update to Nougat from today, by navigating to About Phone and System Updates in the Settings menu.

Android 7.0 Nougat isn’t quite the latest version of Android – Google’s own Pixel handsets run version 7.1.1 – but it brings with it a number of performance enhancements over Marshmallow.

One of these is an update to the Quick Panel. The icons have been given a cleaner look, and notifications are now grouped more intelligently and support direct replies.

The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge now support Samsung Pass too, which lets you use your fingerprint to login to sites and apps, and a pop-up window, which can run five apps simultaneously. That’s in addition to split-screen functionality.

Performance mode, meanwhile, lets you optimise your handset for specific needs, such as gaming, battery life or entertainment.

If you own an older Samsung handset, you shouldn’t have to wait too long to get your hands on Nougat.

Samsung has promised to roll the update out to the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy Tab A with S Pen, Galaxy Tab S2 (LTE unlock), Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A8 “within the first half of this year.

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