Android Nougat finally hits Nexus 6 as Google issues latest OS security patches
The Nougat OTA update for Nexus 6 started rolling out on Monday with the latest Android security updates.
The wait for Android 7.0 Nougat, Google's latest mobile OS, is finally over for the Nexus 6.
It's been more than a month since Google officially released Android 7.0. But while it quickly landed for the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, and Nexus 9 Wi-Fi, the upgrade for the 2014 Motorola-made Nexus 6 was tagged as "coming soon".
One of the reasons people buy Nexus devices is because they're generally updated by Google directly within days or weeks of an official release. So, understandably, many Nexus 6 owners were frustrated that policy didn't hold true this time, despite six months of testing Nougat.
The Nougat OTA update for Nexus 6 started rolling out on Monday and does carry the latest Android security updates, meaning Android 7.0 for Nexus 6 will be on Android security patch level October 5, 2016. The Nexus 6's very first Nougat build number is NDB90Z.
Google has posted links to the Nexus 6's Nougat update's factory images and OTA files.
The other device that will eventually be updated to Nougat is the Nexus 9 LTE.
For this month's security updates, Google has continued its two-tier approach to monthly Android patch levels that it began in July.
This month's update includes patch levels October 1 and October 5, 2016, which is the complete version. The less complete tier is designed to offer Android OEMs a faster route to fixing a subset of bugs common to all Android devices.
The October 1 patch level contains fixes for 15 high-severity flaws and five moderate vulnerabilities.
The October 5 patch level contains all fixes for the October 1 patch level, and addresses seven critical flaws, 33 high-severity and 16 moderate issues, as well as one low-severity bug.
Two of the most serious bugs fixed in the October 5 patch level affected components of the Linux kernel. Other critical issues affect the MediaTek video driver, and bugs in Qualcomm components.
Among the full list of Android patches, there are also fixes for various Qualcomm driver issues, including its crypto engine, video driver, and Wi-Fi driver.