Here are the Full Moto G4 and G4 Plus Nougat Update Release Notes

UPDATE: It appears these notes went live back in October (lolz). Hey, sometimes we can’t keep up with all phones, their update schedules, and when they have or haven’t started rolling out. Either way, we had not yet posted the list, so browse it, your Moto G4 should be seeing the update soon.

Motorola’s Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus are two of their best phones of 2016. Not only do they perform well and come fully unlocked for use on any carrier, they are priced at a point that few can beat. To top it off, Motorola has already told us to expect an update to Nougat on them starting in Q4 of this year, which happens to be ending in a couple of weeks. That means we could be in-store for a holiday gift any day now.

The update has started rolling out in India for now, from what we can tell, but no users have reported seeing it yet in the US or elsewhere. The update is a big one, though, and we have the full changelog for you below, thanks to one of our readers. 

Because this is Nougat and also Motorola’s lightly touched version of Android, it appears that we’re getting the full Android 7.0 experience here. From quick app switching and multi-window, to Doze on the go, notification bundles and direct replies, plus a new Moto Action, there is a lot to take in. While you wait for the update to arrive, run through the list, so you know just what to expect.

Productivity

• Quick switch between apps: multitasking on your phone just got even easier. Double-tap the overview/recent apps button to switch between your two most recently used apps.
• Multi-window view: Android™ Nougat supports multi-window view, so you can run two apps side by side on your screen. For example, reply to a text message while watching a video, or browse the Internet during a video call. Activate multi-window view by long-pressing the overview/recent apps button while in a compatible app. Important: the developer of the app needs to enable multi-window view.
• Work mode: for Android™ for Work users, Android™ Nougat comes with a new work mode toggle, which allows you to conveniently turn on and off your device’s work apps and related notifications for a better work-life balance.

Performance

• Data saver: Data saver helps reduce mobile data usage. When Data saver is on, apps running in the background won’t be able to access mobile data. An app that you’re currently using can access data, but may do so less frequently. You can also choose which apps have unrestricted mobile data access. To turn Data saver on, open Settings from the app tray and go to “Data usage”, then tap “Data saver”. To adjust data access for individual apps, go to “Unrestricted data access”.
• Doze on the go: Android™ Nougat comes with an improved Doze mode. Now your device goes into lower power usage when you aren’t using it and the screen is off, even if you’re on the move.
• Just-in-time compiler: the new just-in-time compiler improves runtime device performance, helps reduce the amount of storage space required for apps and helps make app and system updates much faster.

Notifications

• Notification direct reply: Android™ Nougat lets you quickly reply to messages directly from the notifications. When you receive a message, swipe the status bar down and tap “Reply” on the message notification. Then type and send your response, all without opening the app. Works on compatible applications.
• Bundled notifications: get more information at a glance! In Android™ Nougat, multiple notifications from the same app are bundled together into a single notification group. Drag the status bar down and tap the group to expand it and see or take action on individual notifications.
• Notification controls: you now have more control over notifications. Just press and hold on a notification to toggle the settings. You can silence or block future alerts from an app in the notification itself.

Usability

• Custom quick settings: Android™ Nougat lets you rearrange the quick setting tiles, so you can find your commonly used settings faster. Just swipe the status bar down with two fingers, then tap “Edit” at the bottom of the quick settings panel.
• Quick settings bar: a new settings bar has been added at the top of the notification shade, so you can conveniently access your quick settings when reading your alerts.
• Improved settings navigation: find the right setting faster with an updated navigation menu in Settings.
• Settings suggestions: Android™ Nougat gives you meaningful suggestions for how to get more out of your device. Find them at the top of the Settings menu.
• Lock screen wallpaper: you can now have different wallpapers on your phone’s Home screen and lock screen. To set the wallpapers, long-press on an empty space on your Home screen, then tap “Wallpapers”. Once you’ve selected an image, tap “Set wallpaper” at the top of the screen. You will be prompted to set the selected wallpaper for the Home screen, lock screen or both.
• Improved system backup coverage: Android™ backup covers more device settings in Android™ Nougat, including accessibility settings, run-time permissions for apps, Wi-Fi hotspot settings and Wi-Fi network restrictions.
• New and updated emoji: do you speak fluent Emoji? Bring your words to life with all-new emoji, including redesigned human emoji with multiple skin tones.
• Emergency information: Emergency information lets you add information such as name, blood type, allergies and an emergency contact so that emergency responders can view this information through your device’s lock screen. To add or edit emergency information, open Settings from the app tray, scroll down to “Users”, then tap on “Emergency information”.

Accessibility

• Accessibility settings in initial setup: now you can configure accessibility features for your phone during the setup tutorial. Set magnification gesture, font size, display size and TalkBack right out of the box.
• Accessibility mono output: assists users with hearing loss in one ear by combining stereo left and right channel output to a single mono stream. To turn Mono audio on, open Settings from the app tray, then go to “Accessibility” and scroll down until you find the “Mono audio” switch.
• Variable text to speech: allows setting a wider range for speech rate and pitch. Open Settings from the app tray, then go to “Accessibility” and scroll down to “Text-to-speech output”. Use the sliders to adjust the speech rate and pitch.
• Size of display elements: in Android™ Nougat not only can you change the font size, but also the size of the display elements, like icons and images. To adjust the size of your display elements, open Settings from the app tray and tap “Display”, then scroll down and select “Display size”.

Authentication

• Trusted face improvements: unlocking your phone with Trusted face is easier than ever. Trusted face, a part of Smart Lock, has new facial recognition, which is less sensitive to conditions such as lighting, facial decorations and how you hold your phone.
• Call screening: allows the default phone app to screen/block incoming calls. To set call screening, open the default dialler app, tap the menu icon in the top-right corner (3 vertical dots) and select “Settings”, then go to “Call blocking”.

Internationalisation

• Multi-locale language support and preferences: now you can add multiple languages in your device settings to customise experiences for you, such as showing search results in multiple languages and not offering to translate webpages in a language you already know. You can even sort your language preferences so that apps can pick the right keyboard and text for you.
• Locales by language: we’ve added the option to select locales for commonly used languages. When you add a new language, you will be prompted to select the locale (if supported for the selected language).

Moto experiences

• New Moto action: we’ve added a new Moto action to your phone: Swipe to shrink the screen. To learn more about this action, open the Moto app from the app tray, then go to “Actions” and tap “Swipe to shrink the screen”.
• Fingerprint sensor for screen lock (Moto G⁴ Plus only) : we’ve added a new setting to disable and enable locking the screen when the screen is on and you touch the fingerprint sensor. To access this setting, open Settings from the app tray, scroll down to “Security”, then tap on the screen lock gear icon.

To check for the update head into Settings>About phone>System updates. Let us know if you see it!

Via:  Motorola

Cheers Brady!