Android 7.1.2 Nougat Beta Misses Some Nexus Devices

Android updates sometimes feel like a game of roulette. "Is my device going to get the update or not? And when?" In the past, Google's Nexus devices have mostly been safe from such uncertainty, but it seems that times are changing. The company has just announced the availability of a beta version of an Android 7.1.2 maintenance release and while the update itself doesn't sound that interesting yet, its list of supported device is a bit more curious.

Unlike Android 7.1.1, version 7.1.2 is labeled as an incremental release, with a focus on bug fixes and optimization, with a "few enhancements" on the side. In contrast, 7.1.1 was pretty much a new release because, as far as non-Pixel devices were concerned, it was their jump from 7.0 to 7.1. Since it's just an incremental release, you'd presume that every device that got 7.1.1 would support 7.1.2. Apparently not.

Only devices enrolled in the Android Beta Program get dibs on this release, but even then the actual list is even narrower. Google only mentions the Pixel and Pixel XL, of course, as well as the Nexus 5X, the Nexus Player, and the Pixel C. The Nexus 6P is still "coming soon". Curiously absent is the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9, both of which actually got the 7.1.1. update, both beta and final.

There is, of course, a chance that Google may still roll out 7.1.2 for these two Nexus. In fact, it would be inexplicable if it didn't. Google may have just run into showstopper bugs that may need time to resolve before a release. Either way, a brief note about such issues would probably be more appreciated than this silence, so that users won't have to second guess every single Android update.

SOURCE: Google