If you own a newer Nexus phone, you can get Android Nougat right now. If you don’t use a Nexus phone or cannot wait for your manufacturer to create their own version of Nougat, there are two other ways to get it. You can join the Android Beta Program or build a factory image and flash it to your phone. If you like the idea of the latter, here’s how to download and install Android Nougat.
OTA update for Android Nougat
If you have a Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, General Mobile 4G, Nexus Player, Nexus 9, or Pixel C, you should be able to get Android Nougat now with an OTA (Over The Air) update.
1. Open Settings, About and System updates on your phone.
2. Tap Check for updates.
3. Tap Download & install when the System Update is listed.
Join the Android Beta Program
A way to download and install Android Nougat if you don’t have one of those phones is to join the beta program. Again, this only works for some phones, but yours might be one of them. Here’s what to do.
1. Navigate to http/g.co/androidbeta on your phone browser.
2. Sign in using your Google account.
3. Tap Enroll Device.
4. Open Settings, About and System updates on your phone.
5. Tap Check for updates. If your phone is compatible you should now see release build NRD90M. If you see a file beginning NP, that’s a preview build and may be buggy.
6. Tap Download & install if you get the right version.
Build an image of Android Nougat
Building an image and flashing it to a phone is quite an involved process that takes quite a bit of work. While it isn’t for the faint of heart, it is straightforward, if a little convoluted. Our friends over at Android Central have an excellent guide to flashing a factory image of Android Nougat here.
More Android tutorials you may like:
How to Enable UI tuner and customize Quick Settings options in Android Marshmallow
How to configure a portable hotspot in Android Marshmallow
How to set up a portable hotspot on a Galaxy S7