Android N platform already in development?

(Google Android)

Google released Android 6.0 Marshmallow late last year, but some flagships are still waiting for their OTA updates to the new Android platform. Meanwhile, although Marshmallow still seems to be a new environment at this point, there are already speculations that Google is starting work on its successor.

According to Android Headlines, the latest rumors say Android N may be making its way to Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S7 lineup. Reportedly, a leaked developer listing for the Galaxy S7 Edge pointed out that some features of the device will be deprecated in "N," meaning the next-in-line Android platform. While previous rumors already said that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S series flagship will carry Android 6.0 right out of the box, preparing these devices for another Android platform might mean that Samsung is somewhat privy to a general timeline for Android N.

Meanwhile, Stuff.tv said that while Google might indeed be planning an Android N roll-out, it will not be sometime soon. For this year's Google I/O Conference set on May 18 to 20 in Mountain View, the tech giant might be planning a sneak peek at a new Android platform. However, it will still be in development stage, and fans will not see that much since a true, working version of the new environment might not be built until late 2016 or early 2017.

Phone Arena added that a developer preview of Android N is more likely, and it dovetails with recent speculations of Android Marshmallow being upgraded to 6.1 version (the current version is 6.0.1). According to the industry follower, the upcoming I/O Conference will have Google launch Android 6.1, which might be fully released by June. In addition, it is also reported that an Android 6.1 release will also be joined by new Google devices, particularly a refreshed Nexus 7 tablet reportedly made by Huawei, and at least two new Nexus smartphones.