Aug 29, 2016 08:45 AM EDT By Vinay Patel, UniversityHerald Reporter

While zealous Nexus fans have been waiting with bated breath for the release of the much-awaited Google Nexus 2016 flagships codenamed "Sailfish" and "Marlin," the Mountain View company has remained tight-lipped regarding Google Nexus 2016 release date.

Nevertheless, Google has always shown that it has a special place in its heart for Nexus devices, as is evident during new Android version release. Following the trend, Google once again exhibited its special fondness for the Nexus line earlier this week.

In a Google+ post, Nexus announced that the prized Wi-Fi assistant, which was originally a limited feature for Project Fi, will be rolled out to Nexus device users within the U.S., the UK, Mexico, Canada and Nordic countries. Nexus device users do not need a subscription to Project Fi to utilize the Wi-Fi assistant.

By automatically and securely connecting to free open Wi-Fi hotspots via Wi-Fi Assistant, the post claims, users will be able to keep their connection speed high while keeping their data bill low.

It is important to bear in mind that users are not charged for data usage when connected to Wi-Fi hotspots.

The search engine giant claims it has verified over a million reliable and fast wireless hotspots, which were originally lined up for Project Fi. The Wi-Fi assistant automatically tracks down the hotspots - for instance those in coffee shops - it then smoothly switches the phone connection from cellular network to a Google-verified Wi-Fi hotspot.

With the Wi-Fi assistant, users do not have to search for better hotspots manually. But that's not all; Google also provides data security via encryption while the user is connected to an open hotspot.

According to Project Fi project manager Simon Arscott, the company built Project Fi as a testbed for creative ideas. And the company grabbed this opportunity to bring it to more users via Nexus product line.

The feature is available to all Nexus devices running Android Lollipop 5.1 and higher software. This comprises of the Nexus 4, 5, 6, 5x and 6P smartphones in addition to Nexus 7, 9 and 10 tablets. This feature can be turned on or off by users. Here's how to do it:

To locate the Wi-Fi Assistant's on/off switch, go to device's "Settings" app; here you will see a list of tabs. Click on the "Google" tab to reveal the "Networking" panel in which the switch is located. Once successfully connected, the device's notification bar displays a VPN key icon. VPS stands for virtual private network. The Wi-Fi connection will show the phrasing "Connected via Wi-Fi Assistant."

In other news, it looks like Google Nexus 4 can get the flavor of the latest Android OS version as Android 7.0 has been unofficially ported to the device, CNet reported.

Google rolled out the Android 7.0 Nougat just a few days back, but surprisingly the older devices including the Nexus 4, 5 and Nexus 7 (2013) did not get an invitation to join the party.

However, the helpful developer community stepped forward to offer a solution to the problem and despite the lack of official support, it looks like nothing can stop Nougat from reaching older devices.

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