Google has released the second and final developer preview build of Android 7.1.1 to select Nexus and Pixel phones and tablets today—this is the update’s last stop before the final version is released to the company’s older hardware in early December.
Like the first preview in October, this one supports the Nexus 5X and 6P as well as the Pixel C, and Google has added support for the Nexus 9 as well—you can enroll any of these devices in the beta program here to download over-the-air updates. The final version will add support for the Nexus 6 and the Nexus Player. The Pixel phones are already running Android 7.1, though they’ll presumably receive an update to 7.1.1 at around the same time with any applicable fixes and enhancements.
There aren’t major feature updates in the new beta, and Google’s post is mostly targeted toward developers who are getting their apps ready for the newest version of Nougat. Android Studio 2.2.2 includes support for the new API level 25, and the Android emulator images included with the developer tools have also been updated. And Google has provided tools to help developers create round icons for their apps and support Android 7.1’s new iOS-style app shortcuts.
As we’ve secured beforehand, Android 7.1 won’t bring the majority of the elements of Google’s new Pixel telephones to more seasoned Nexus and Pixel gadgets. Most altogether, you’ll need to manage without the Google Assistant or the new Pixel Launcher, yet you won’t get Daydream VR bolster or the full advantages of Nougat’s “consistent redesign” instrument, either. Going ahead, it’s not clear whether Pixel telephones will get new Android forms in front of bolstered Nexus telephones, whether those more established gadgets can inevitably hope to bolster the Pixel Launcher or Google Assistant, or whether significantly more Pixel-selective components will be added to the working framework. Nexus proprietors are as yet showing signs of improvement and quicker upgrades than most other Android telephones, yet obviously Pixel is what’s to come.
