Android N has now been around for a month, but the OS is still in its preview version. It was unusual for Google to unveil the developer preview ahead of the traditional time, an indicator that the company is pushing for an early adoption of the OS.
Even as this goes on, the search engine giant reports that Android 6.0 Marshmallow has only managed to reach 2.3% of all Android devices in the world. This is a very insignificant figure when compared to the massive number of devices out there that are powered by the latest OS. Of course, this cannot be blamed entirely on Google, but it’s because of the open-source nature of the OS that sees numerous OEMs use the OS on their devices. Not all devices are always compatible with updates, something that makes it even harder for Google’s latest software to reach older models.
The fact that Android M has yet to make a significant mark in the industry has not deterred Google from coming in with a new Android N OS. The developer preview, which usually shows up during the company’s I/O conference, came earlier and it is even expected that the full version will be announced during this year’s event to be held in mid-May.
One thing that is sure is that Android N will be ready for the public after this summer as the company looks to keep pace with the possible iOS 10 that will be released with iPhone 7 in September. This will happen despite the sluggish rollout of Android Marshmallow. But the question here is will the same pace be experienced when updating devices to the new Android N?
No need to wait longer
Android 6.0 Marshmallow hasn’t reached a significant number of devices, yet Android N is already out. This should be a concern for Google as it will be very hard to popularize any of these two operating systems.
While others are waiting for the update to come to older devices, there is a cool path you can take to avoid this long wait. In fact, you only get to bring some of the best features of Android N to your device, whether it’s running on Android 5.0 Lollipop or Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
There are some devices that have reached the end of their software update cycle. Updates usually come to devices that are less than two years old. So, for some older models from 2014 and beyond, the Marshmallow update might just be the last. But there is some good news for you as this method now lets you have the best of Android N on your older smartphone or tablet. However, there is a catch.
The catch here is that your device must first of all be rooted. So, if this sounds unfamiliar, you better stop here. If you are comfortable, there are some cool features awaiting you.
Courtesy of a new project known as N-ify, it is now possible to get Android N to run on devices using Android L and above. With the preview version only available on a handful of devices, this platform will allow your device, as long as it is using Android L and above, to get the new look of Android N. As of now, the project is still new and only a few features are supported.
The N-ify project comes as a Xposed Module and as such, it must first of all be installed on your device.