With the introduction of material design in Android 5.0 two years ago, Google's powerful and popular mobile operating system seemed to finally understand what it was and where it was going. With Nougat, version 7.0 of the OS, the Android experience has been further refined with smart and subtle tweaks that make your device even more useful. A new split-screen view cements its ascendency in the world of personal technology, and forthcoming virtual reality support means that the future of Android is a bright one. It's not out on all the best Android phones yet, but it's a strong argument for anyone buying their first device or looking to make the switch from Apple or Windows Phone.

N Is for New

Nougat launched in late August 2016, and is currently available for the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, and Pixel C devices. The first phone to ship with Nougat installed will be the LG V20, which comes out in September. Other Android devices, such as Samsung's Galaxy line, will likely receive the update later. And many handsets won't receive it at all. That's fragmentation for you.

I've had a device enrolled in the Android developer beta version of Nougat since the program was announced. For this review, I installed the new operating system via an over-the-air update on a Nexus 6P ($144.99 at Amazon) , one of the best Android phones on the market today.

The Brilliance of Android

Visually, Nougat is a subtle update. But let me just put the most important news here at the very top and say that Google has added support for Unicode 9 emoji, which adds 72 more tiny images, for a grand total of 1,500. These include new skin tones for certain emoji, making them reflect the real world a little more closely. I've long appreciated emoji both aesthetically and linguistically, and Google finally has parity with Apple's emoji offerings. Also, I happen to think the cute, cartoony approach to emoji in Android far superior from Apple's inscrutable tiny glyphs. That said, the iPhone received new emoji long ago.

If you've looked at pure Android in the last few years, you'll feel right at home at home on the desktop, which features a customizable spread of apps, as well as folders of apps, for easy access. You can also add widgets, which are smaller versions of apps that run on your desktop. You might add one that gives a quick view of the Weather Underground app, for example.

The customizability of the phone desktop is still one of the most obvious differences between Android and Apple's iOS 9. Even in the as-yet unreleased iOS 10, apps still appear in a fixed grid and widgets are relegated to the Notifications pull-down. If iOS feels too stiff and rigid, the freedom and personality of Android is a strong argument for the platform.

A classic Android feature I really like is the ability to uninstall apps from the homepage by tapping and dragging them to the top of the screen. You can still tap the center apps button to view all the apps currently installed on your device, and search your apps from the search bar (because it is Google). A top bar shows the most recently used apps.

The Google Now voice search feature is still very much a part of Android. Just say 'OK Google,' and you can ask your phone any question you would type into the search engine. It can also perform basic tasks on your phone, and even launch apps. Siri and Cortana may have more personality, but I love Google Now. The service has matured a lot, and it now feels much more natural and user friendly.

Pull down from the top of the screen to open the Notification pane, and here you start to see some of the new features of Android Nougat. In Marshmallow, notifications appeared as thin strips, which could be dismissed with a swipe or activated with a tap. With Nougat, notifications are thicker and fill the width of the screen and feel more in line with Android's Material Design aesthetic.

The size of the notifications, both in the pulldown pane and on the lock screen, hint that more is afoot. Notifications from the same app are now organized into bundles. Pull down on a notification bundle to expand it, showing more information and even allowing additional actions. Slide the notification partway in either direction or give it a long press and you pull up a menu for specific notification actions, like blocking or muting notifications from that app. Swipe all the way left or right to dismiss the notification.

For example, pulling down on a Gmail bundle reveals the sender and a preview. Pull on a specific message and it reveals the full text along with Reply and Archive buttons. It's a excellent experience, and I can definitely see how it will improve productivity for Android users. I'd like to see future versions go further, perhaps including a long swipe to archive email and a short swipe to snooze it, as iOS does for lock-screen notifications. You can also long press on any notification to change how frequently alerts from that app are displayed.

Bundling similar emails is a key feature of Google's Inbox by Gmail app, and a similar feature exists for notifications in Marshmallow, in which notifications are grouped by the apps that generated them. Apple's iOS notifications have improved over the years, but Android Nougat surpasses Apple's approach and improves over Marshmallow's handling, too. Even in what I've seen of iOS 10, notifications still seem surprisingly messy. Android has notifications figured out.

Nougat also lets you take more actions from a notification without exiting the app you're currently using. One of the most noticeable is replies. For example, you can now send a reply to a Google Hangouts message right from the notification.

In my testing, I had no trouble responding to Hangouts messages from the notifications screen. All I had to do was tap the reply button, type my message in the field that opened, and press send. It felt very natural, and I like that I don't have to leave the app I'm currently using to send a message. Note, however, that not all notifications have this quick-reply feature. Hopefully we'll see it utilized in the best Android apps as Nougat rolls out. Note also that Hangouts previously let you respond to messages from the notification, but the capability is now baked into the OS, where it belongs and where other apps can use it. Apple iOS already has the ability to respond from within notifications, and it's good to see Android heading in that direction as well.

If you keep pulling down on the Notification menu, you open the notification shade, which in Nougat is more useful than ever. Here, you see the usual quick-action shortcuts for Wi-Fi, mobile data, alerts, and the flashlight across the top. Pull down further and these icons smoothly transition down to the familiar Quick Settings options. A new Edit button gives you more control over which features are available here. Previous versions of Android let you not only toggle Wi-Fi on and off, but also select which Wi-Fi network to use and were the kind of smart, simple features that make iPhone users drool with envy. I'm very happy to see Google adding even more such functionality in Android Nougat.

But all these new notification features raise the age-old complaint that Android preferences are available from so many different locations. I think it's fine to change how notifications function from the notification itself, but I can see how less experienced users could be confused about how to change those settings again after the notification disappears.

Side by Side

The most dramatic new feature in Android Nougat is split-screen display for apps, though this isn't the first time an Android device has included a split-screen experience. Samsung has offered it as a feature for years, but I've always been frustrated with how Samsung handles it. More often than not, I'm reminded that the feature exists when I accidentally trigger it, and that's about the only time I use it.

The experience is far better in Android Nougat. Tap the bottom-right Task Manager button, and you see all the apps you currently have running. Tap and hold the app you want to split and then drag it to the top of the screen. That's it. The bottom half of the screen can be filled with another app, or it can simply show the bottom half of the home screen.

You can adjust the size of your split screens by tapping and dragging the thin black bar that separates the apps. Swipe up on the black bar and you exit Split-Screen mode altogether. Best of all, if you split the screen vertically and then rotate your device, the split smartly changes to a horizontal one. That's excellent. Even better is that both apps are active. I can, for example, have a Chrome window open on one side and watch a YouTube video in the other.

Note that earlier versions of the developer preview only allowed one app to be active and in focus at a time. Now, however, videos will happily play in one half while you interact with the other. Another thing to note is that opening an app in Split-Screen mode occasionally warns you that some apps may not work in this mode. We'll likely see fewer of those messages as Nougat and updated apps roll out. And while it's a little disconcerting to see that message on first-party apps like YouTube, it's a testament to the excellent work Google developers have done that this feature seems to work with any app without being enabled by developers.

I especially like that the feature does not appear to be limited by device size. That would be a bit of a coup, since Apple has relegated its multitasking window feature called Split View to high-end tablets such as the iPad Pro . Google's decision to make this feature platform-agnostic strikes me as an excellent one, especially since there is such a range of sizes in the Android world.

When I first tested the developer preview, I was annoyed how summoning the keyboard while while my screen was split horizontally cut off so much of the viewable area. It's better in the final release, but still not ideal. The on-screen keyboard is also awkward in the vertical configuration, too. I imagine that the bigger your screen, the better your experience is going to be. If you're hoping to take notes while watching a video, it can be done, but it won't be the best experience. Handset users will find this feature useful, especially phablet users, but it's a feature that will really shine on any of the best Android tablets.

While I don't see myself using this feature much, I can see the advantages of multitasking windows. With multiple apps in view, you can easily move information among apps without having to do all that tedious jumping around in the multitasking manager. If you've ever been trying to make notes from a Web page, or consult a document while writing an email, your life is about to become a whole lot better. This is the kind of interaction usually restricted to desktops and laptops, and it's exciting to see it come to Android. It's also notable that some third-party apps like Netflix (Free at Apple.com) are able to take advantage of split-screen views without being specifically updated. It's a great implementation of a tricky concept, but I wonder how often it will actually be used, especially on smaller screens. Perhaps Apple's decision to reserve it for larger screens is the right approach.

Looking through the Android developer information, you see references to picture-in-picture functionality. Unfortunately, it seems that this feature is limited to TVs and devices such as the Nexus Player ($89.99 at eBay) . I hope to see it make a full debut soon to counter the latest iPads, which support streaming video in a picture-in-picture multitasking view.

A side note about Android screen sizes: As with iOS, some apps are intended for tablets or handheld smartphones. But by and large, Android apps will work on pretty much any size device, whereas Apple tends to have strong delineation between iPad and iPhone apps. Unless the iOS app is a universal app, iPhone apps don't look great on iPads and iPad-specific apps don't work on iPhones. A notable recent exception to Android's app flexibility is, ironically, the Apple Music app, which only works on Android phones.

Doing More With Less

While Nougat is rolling out for a small set of phones, users on older devices with enfeebled batteries will also get some benefits from Nougat—if and when it's available for them. Google has expanded the Doze functionality, which previously put devices into a deep, battery-saving sleep when they were stationary and locked. Now, Doze works on the go, pausing processes and saving your battery power when the screen is off and your device is in your pocket or a bag—it no longer needs to be stationary. This strikes a balance between availability and efficiency.

Nougat users on limited data plans will surely appreciate the Data Saver features. When enabled, Data Saver shuts down access to cellular data to any apps that are still running but not in view. If, for example, you were to move from Chrome to YouTube without closing Chrome, Data Saver would turn off Chrome's cellular access until you brought it back into view. It's a small tweak, but one that could add up to big data savings.

A new setting option for display size lets you zoom the entire Android experience, not just text size. This will be a huge accessibility boon for any users challenged by the size of most screen text, one that takes advantage of the increased screen real estate available on most devices.

Behind the Scenes

While most of us are here for the flagship features and fancy new effects, there are a few other things going on under the hood that will appeal to Android power users and app creators. The biggest addition for developers is the inclusion of Java 8. This lets developers take advantage of new tools and processes for making new apps.

As a journalist and a reviewer, I spend an inordinate amount of time in the Android Settings app, and I appreciate the changes Google has brought to this humble, yet essential, component in Nougat. As with the All Apps view in Marshmallow, the Settings app now shows suggestions at the top of the screen. If you've activated certain status-changing features, such as Do Not Disturb mode, that will appear here, too. Android is becoming more responsive to how you, individually, use your phone, and it's a great touch.

Moving through the Settings menu has often been an experience of tapping through endless screens, but no more. Swipe right from the left edge and a hidden tray opens with easy navigation to the rest of the Settings app, wherever you are. It's excellent.

Do you spend time in the Android file browser? Probably not. But for the handful of you that do, it has been improved since the previous version. Unfortunately, it's still buried inside the Settings menu. Nougat also brings back the popular Night Mode in the System UI Tuner, along with manual RGB calibration.

Many Android developers are also excited about Vulkan, a graphics API intended to deliver high performance with low overhead. You won't see Vulkan itself, but you might notice more intense 3D games showing up in the Google Play store.

Google had previously shown the ability for developers to create action-specific shortcuts to the home screen with Android Nougat. These would let you trigger a specific function within an app directly from your home screen. They are not part of the current release, however. If and when they do roll out, I'm curious to see if these shortcuts will actually be more useful than widgets already available in Android.

How Safe Is Nougat?

On the security side, Nougat introduces Direct Boot and file-based encryption. The former allows apps to start up in the background before you unlock your device, but without exposing your personal information. The latter is a smarter approach to encryption that encrypts your device at the file level. You won't see either of these in action, but know that your phone is safer.

But by far the biggest security update is one hopefully no one will notice: Updates will be handled seamlessly, for devices that support them (see below). Instead forcing you to manually download and install updates and then wait for apps to be optimized, Google will quietly download new software into a separate partition and then swap out your OS experience for the new one.

This is the same approach that Google has taken for Chrome OS, and its inclusion on Android will be a welcome relief from the frequent security patches being applied to the operating system. Those frequent security updates are great, and Google deserves a lot of credit for not only working faster to patch Android but now rolling out a system that will ensure that more users get these critical software updates. Unfortunately, we won't know how well it works until Google releases its first update for Android Nougat.

Seamless updates will be limited only to devices that ship with Nougat installed. It doesn't seem like it will solve the general problem of carriers and manufacturers slowing down major Android updates.

Early on, Android was derided by security experts as the Wild West of mobile. That's changed in recent years, despite discoveries like the Stagefright exploit. In addition to more and faster security updates, Google has quietly rolled out tools that allows the company to monitor apps downloaded from outside the Google Play store and help stop malicious activity before it starts. Apple remains synonymous with a secure mobile experience, but the security of Android has been greatly improved in recent years.

What's (Still) Missing

The biggest announcement at Google I/O this year was the Google assistant, a new paradigm for how you interact with search. The idea is for more of a ambient, Siri or Echo-like experience. The flagship for this new approach is the text messaging app Allo, which is not bundled with Nougat and has not launched as of this writing. Duo, a one-to-one video calling app and companion to Allo, has launched, but is not bundled with Nougat. For now, Google Hangouts is still the name of the game.

The forthcoming iOS 10 looks set to put messaging at the forefront, raising the game with Facebook Messenger-style stickers and other adornments. Apple is also planning to open the Messages app to include content from other apps, a radical departure for the company. Hangouts and the default text messaging app for Android still work serviceably, and Allo may be a game changer, but Apple is placing more emphasis on the unique experience of its first-party apps.

Another as-yet-unreleased piece of Nougat is Daydream, which is what Google is calling the Android support for virtual reality. Google has been playing around with VR ever since it quietly launched its Cardboard project several years ago. Daydream will reportedly be different, with built-in OS support, and a special catalog of VR apps and content. At Google I/O 2016, we got a peek at what's coming, such as smart notifications that will make sense while the phone is in VR mode, and news that some core Project Tango technology would be integrated into Daydream, but little besides.

The problem with Daydream is that it hinges on special hardware, including headgear that sticks phones to your face, and phones that are deemed "Daydream capable." Other manufacturers will partner with Google to put out apps, Daydream hardware, and Daydream capable phones, but Google has promised it will provide first-party solutions as well. Google has said to expect more in the fall of 2016. That's a shame, since it's a major facet of Nougat that's simply missing in action. That said, the first Daydream capable phone, the Axon 7 VR, exists.

Meanwhile, both Apple and Microsoft have made convergence a key feature. With each iteration, Apple devices become more tightly entwined with features like a universal clipboard letting you cut text on your iPhone and paste on to your iMac.

With its Windows Phone and Microsoft Surface ($649.99 at Amazon) devices, Microsoft has completely blurred the line between desktop, mobile, and tablet devices. Windows 10 ($139.00 at Microsoft Store) devices are now meant to work everywhere, as tablets, laptops, phones, and even desktops. The concept hasn't been fully realized (partly because Windows Phone keeps faltering), but Microsoft has come the closest to true convergence.

For its part, Google has eschewed this strategy. Although Chrome OS is still making strides as a traditional computer OS, it's becoming more like Android and even runs Android apps. Instead of converging experiences, Google seems to be working toward an ambient search experience with the Google assistant. It's frustrating that there is still so little interoperability between my Nexus and my laptop. The Chrome browser would be a perfect foothold! It's even more frustrating when the Google assistant strategy is still just a vague notion.

A Chewy Update

Despite all the good there is in Nougat, the perennial problem of Android fragmentation needs to be addressed. According to Google's own report, only 15.2 percent of Android devices run version 6, which is less than the 16.7 percent that currently run version 3.3. Meanwhile, a whopping 64.7 percent are running either version 4 or 5. Compare this with the 87 percent of iPhone users that have upgraded to iOS 9, less than a year after it launched.

Android's great diversity of hardware may be a strength, but, when combined with its broad range of operating systems found in the wild, it hasn't helped the developer community. We're sick of saying it and Android users are sick of hearing it and living it, but this leads to iPhone users still getting more and better apps than Android.

A new wrinkle to the Android equation is Daydream, which has the potential to push Android into the world of VR. Apple has nothing like it, and though Microsoft's HoloLens is cool, it's not for consumers yet. The impact this will have on Android, and the rest of the mobile world, hinges on too many unknowns. With as-yet unreleased apps and hardware add-ons, Daydream is still just that—a dyadream. Unfortunately, the same can be said about many of Nougat's most exciting features: Seamless updates are limited to forthcoming devices, and the Google assistant remains confusingly opaque and noticeably missing. Shortcuts, too, have yet to make their appearance.

These complaints notwithstanding, Nougat is an excellent addition to Android and a guidepost for the future of mobile operating systems. Over the last six versions, Google has hashed out the difficult work of building the infrastructure to run billions of Android devices. It's been refined and polished to a shine, and Nougat adds the kind of subtle usability tweaks like improved notifications and customization that keep Android from losing pace with how real humans use their smartphones. Keyboard issues aside, split-screen multitasking is handled better on Android than any other mobile device, and improved controls for power and data let software do what hardware can't always manage.

Google Android 7.0 Nougat is an Editors' Choice winner for mobile operating systems, an award it shares with Apple iOS 9.

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