Samsung Leaks Android N's Version Number

Although it does not appear to have been an intentional snafu, Samsung may have leaked the version number for Android N. The information was included in a changelog for Samsung’s own MultiWindow SDK. The next update for the Android operating system was released earlier this year as the Android N Developer Preview and the final name and version are expected to be announced by Google in May at their Google I/O event.

According to the information released by Samsung, their MultiWindow SDK has been updated to add compatibility for Android N(7.0). The version number is of interest as it can help determine whether Google considers the update to be a major change or not. This became readily apparent a few years ago when Google released KitKat with a version number in the 4.x range even though most people though KitKat would be Android 5.0. That did not come until later when Google released Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Whether any of the changes to Android constitute a major update is always questionable. Many felt the update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow did not include enough significant changes to warrant a change in version number. The same situation may exist this time around as Google adds features like the ability to reply to messages directly from the notifications bar, changes to the notifications panel, improvements to Doze mode, some tweaks to the user interface, and the addition of a Multi-Window mode.

Despite the slip-up and apparently revealing Android N will be version 7.0, Samsung did not reveal any information about the name of the version. At this point, who knows whether Google has even settled on the name.
Source: Samsung via: SamMobile