Google is going to roll out the Android 7.1 Nougat for the Chromebooks. This will be a build for Chrome OS version 55, which is coming out next week. For the Update it can also be pushed to Chrome OS 56 that will be coming in January.

Robby Payne of Chrome Unboxed is extremely convinced that Google will be dropping the Android 7.1 Nougat to Chromebooks, possibly as a build for Chrome OS version 55.

At this point, we don't know exactly when that might be, but in the report he points to a major indicator that this is actually going to happen sooner. That clincher appears to be a commit on a code-review, Change 414836 that is uploaded by Nicolas Boichat. Here's an excerpt of it:

"Some build systems for the graphics libraries need to be aware of which Android version is being built. Currently, we have been hard-coding version 6.0, but we need to be able to set the version
to 7.1 when building for N."

Though there's still no exact timeline commitment, but this surely shows that something is in the works. Nougat will be a refreshing the addition to its Chromebooks, and not least of all for its ability to bring in windowed apps that are resizable, rather than what you see on the latest builds for smartphones, which is a side-by-side view.

Payne and others also believe that this update will eventually come to tablets that are based on Android documentation released so far. Current versions will allow users to lock the windowed app in either portrait or landscape orientation, with a 50-50 probability of it working on full-screen mode.

Android 7.1 Nougat can be released to Chromebooks once the Google Play store support evolves beyond its current beta status. There is a hope right now that Play Store will not be on beta on R11, Flip and Pixel, but there is no guarantee that we will see Android 7.1 Nougat drop to those models. It could also be pushed to Chrome OS 56, which is coming in January.

If you want to check for the latest Chrome OS update then simply go to Settings > Google Play Store (Beta) > Manage your Android preferences and you'll be met with a very familiar settings interface. If you check in the 'About Device' section, you can see your Android version.

There are lots of issues that can be fixed ahead of the Android 7.1 Nougat rollout to Chromebooks. that would be the ideal scenario.

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