Google announces the next version of Android earlier than anyone expected

Google on Wednesday released the first preview build for the next version of Android, dubbed, for now, Android N

The new preview build — which includes an updated software development kit (SDK) — is available for the official Android Emulator developer tool, and it can also be installed on Google's Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, Nexus 9 and Pixel C devices

Android previews are typically released each summer at the Google I/O developers conference, so the release has caught us all a bit by surprise.

In a Medium post, Google Senior Vice President Hiroshi Lockheimer explains that Google is debuting the next version early because it wants more developer feedback. Read more...