Android 7.1.2 Nougat Developer Preview News: First Public Beta Now Available for Pixel and Nexus Devices
The first public beta for Android 7.1.2 Nougat has been released and the developer preview gives Android users a sneak peek of the changes that will be seen in the latest version of Google's mobile operating system (OS). Those with Pixel and Nexus-branded devices will also be able to try out the new features first-hand.
"Android 7.1.2 is an incremental maintenance release focused on refinements, so it includes a number of bugfixes and optimizations, along with a small number of enhancements for carriers and users," Dave Burke, vice president of engineering for Android, said in a recent blog post.
While Google's official announcement did not specify the particular changes that will be featured in the latest version of the Nougat OS, 9to5Google has reported that the "swipe for notifications" gesture is finally available on the Nexus 5X.
This means that Nexus 5X users will finally be able to view their notifications by swiping down on the fingerprint sensor. This functionality has been available on the Google Pixel and Pixel XL devices since last November via the Android 7.1 update. The article also noted that the feature will be made available to the Nexus 6P once the developer preview is released for the device.
Other devices that will be able to join the Android Developer Preview Program are the Nexus Player and the Pixel C tablet. Unfortunately, it has been confirmed that the Motorola Nexus 6 and HTC Nexus 9 will not receive the Android 7.1.2 update. On the other hand, the older Nexus devices will still receive security patches moving forward.
Those eligible to test out the first public beta for the Android 7.1.2 update can learn more about joining the program here.
Following feedback from the Android Beta community, the over-the-air (OTA) update for the final version of the Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS is expected to arrive in the next couple of months.