Android 7.0 and Android 7.1 Nougat are not the newest versions of the popular mobile OS out there, instead, the honor goes to Android 8.0 Oreo. For users of the Xposed framework, even getting hold of Android Nougat has been a problem, leave alone Oreo.
The reason is that Xposed framework has not been working on Android 7.0 and Android 7.1 Nougat. Those who have been over the years impressed with the works of the Xposed team had to make do with dated versions based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow while keeping their fingers crossed that the developer, rovo89, will come up with the new version of the framework.
Well, finally, he came through with the update and as at the time of this writing, devices running any version of Android Nougat can now take advantage of the customizations that come with the Xposed framework. However, keep in mind that this will only work on supported devices that have also been rooted.
The Xposed framework
Perhaps you are still lost somewhere wondering what exactly this Xposed framework is all about. Well, forget the jargon. Xposed framework, in simple terms, is an application. Once this app is installed on your phone or tablet for that matter, it extends the capabilities of the device in question beyond what is generally known. The app is all about extensive customization, meaning that you will be able to do things that whoever manufactured the device – and software – has restricted. As a result, you won’t be able to install the app normally, like the way you do with other apps from the Google Play Store or even APK files, instead, the app has to take over the back-end functionality of the phone.
As pointed out, you need to have a rooted device in order to take advantage of the Xposed framework. With this framework, you don’t need to go all the way of flashing a custom ROM on your phone in order to customize it like you want, instead, the app does all the dirty work for you.
This is just a basic overview of the Xposed framework and what it does, but if you feel a little bit geeky, you can find out more details about the framework via the XDA Developers forum.