Software

See also: Android Marshmallow and Android version history

Further information: Android (operating system)
The phone arrives running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Compared to its predecessor
Android 5.x Lollipop, the most significant changes include a new permissions
architecture that allows for fine-grained control of app permissions instead of
bulk permission granting during app install, and Google Now on Tap, an ability to
perform a Google search based on the information currently displayed by holding
down on the home button.

Due to the popularity of fingerprint based authentication, there is now support for
an official fingerprint API that allows users to unlock their phones and perform
app purchases in Google Play. Android 6.0 Marshmallow also allows website owners to
set a preferred app to open their links in, and allows users greater control over
this behavior. Sharing has been improved with a feature called "Direct Share",
which allows information to be sent to a contact directly, rather than to a third
party app first. On screen volume controls have also been simplified, with more
extensive control exposed via a tap. Text selection has been redesigned to show a
floating toolbar next to the highlighted text, replacing the actionbar which
existed on the top of the screen in previous versions of Android.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow includes a battery life enhancing feature called "Doze
Mode" that suspends network access, disables sync and scheduled jobs for suspended
apps during periods when the phone is inactive.

In December 2015, Google released Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow for the Nexus 6P, among
other devices.[21][22]

Google released Android 7.0 Nougat for the Nexus 6P, as well as several other
devices, on August 22, 2016.[23]

Google released Android 7.1.1 Nougat for the Nexus 6P (among other devices) in
December 2016.[24][25] Among other changes, this update brought some features to
the Nexus 6P that had been previously exclusive to the Pixel and Pixel XL phones.
[26]

Google released Android 8.0 Oreo for the Nexus 6P, among other devices, in August
2017.[27] Android 8.1 Oreo was released for the Nexus 6P, as well as some other
devices, on December 5, 2017.[28