Samsung today said it’s starting to let people with the well-reviewed Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge smartphones in the U.S., U.K., and Korea install a version of Android 7.0 Nougat with Samsung optimizations. People in China will be able to install it soon.

This option is part of Samsung’s Galaxy Beta Program, which was first introduced last year after Android 6.0 Marshmallow came out. Samsung’s Galaxy Note7 smartphone is not part of this program, as it has been effectively killed.

The news comes a couple of days after LG said it would start rolling out Android 7.0 Nougat onto its G5 smartphone.

Google, meanwhile, has released developer previews of Android 7.1 Nougat, which comes pre-installed on Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones.

AI Weekly

The must-read newsletter for AI and Big Data industry written by Khari Johnson, Kyle Wiggers, and Seth Colaner.

Included with VentureBeat Insider and VentureBeat VIP memberships.

People with active Samsung Accounts can apply to participate through the Galaxy Beta Program app or Samsung Members app. It’s not clear when the beta program will end for countries where it’s available. In the U.K. the program is open to people with “non-operator locked” or “open market” phones, according to a statement.

VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Learn More