Android Nougat 7.0 is rolling out right now to Sony’s Xperia XZ, Xperia X and Xperia X Compact devices. Here’s how to update your own Xperia smartphone to Android Nougat, plus the best new features that you can expect, complete with our hands-on review of the Xperia update.
Sony fans will be happy to hear that most recent Xperia smartphones, including the Xperia XZ, Xperia X and Xperia X Compact, are being updated to Android Nougat. These Android updates will be sent Over The Air (OTA) by your carrier, and here’s how to check if your update is ready and all of the great new features you can expect.
Read next: Sony Xperia X 2017 review with Android Nougat
Sony Xperia XZ, Xperia X and Xperia X Compact update to Android Nougat: How to update your phone
The Android Nougat update is rolling out to the latest Xperia phones from today, so your own update might be ready to download right now.
To check this, head to the settings menu of your Xperia phone and scroll to the bottom. Here you’ll find an ‘About phone’ section. Tap that and then poke ‘Software update’ at the very top of the new menu.
Swipe your finger left across the screen and you’ll find yourself in the System Updates section. This is where the Android Nougat update will appear. If your phone says that ‘your device already has the latest system update’, then your Nougat upgrade isn’t ready just yet. Try again later!
If your update is ready then you can download it and install it immediately. Note that you’ll need to have at least 50 percent battery life to update, even if your Xperia XZ, X Compact or X Performance is plugged in. You’ll also need just over a gigabyte of free storage space to download and install the Android Nougat update. Since the update is so big, you’ll want to be connected to WiFi to download the file without killing your data allowance.
Once the download has finished, the update will automatically install. When your phone reboots, it will be on Android Nougat.
Sony Xperia XZ, Xperia X and Xperia X Compact update to Android Nougat: Best new features
The Android Nougat update adds some cool new features to your Sony Xperia XZ, X Compact or X Performance phone. You can see these all in action in the video in the next section.
For one, you can now multi-task with two apps at once. To do this, just head into one app and then long-press the recent apps button to the right of the home button. The screen will split in half and you’ll have the option to load a second app in the bottom half of the display.
You can now adjust the layout of your notifications bar shortcuts, and remove any useless ones to replace with different shortcuts. You can also now reply to messages directly within the notifications menu.
Battery life has been improved too, with Google’s updated Doze feature. Your Xperia phone can detect when it’s stuck in your pocket or bag and shut down any unnecessary processes, to save power.
There are a few other cool new features too, including Smart Unlock with facial recognition. And the Xperia X Performance now has full manual controls, including manual focus and shutter speed control.
Sony Xperia XZ, Xperia X and Xperia X Compact update to Android Nougat: Hands-on review
In this video we show you the best Android Nougat features in action on the Sony Xperia XZ. We also run through how to update your own Xperia phone, so you can check to see if your Nougat update is ready to download.
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