Google’s Android 7.1 release which was announced as being launched on their Pixel phones that were unveiled yesterday will also be heading to selected devices as a developer preview later this year.
The update will be headed to supported Nexus devices, as well as the Pixel C, though whether the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 – whose platform update support has ended this month according to Google support – isn’t clear.
The Dev Previewupdate will arrive by the end of this year Google has advised Android Police, in line with Google’s intention to release Maintenance Releases – though Google initially advised the first Maintenance Release would arrive ‘this fall’.
Exactly which Pixel features will be brought to Nexus in this update isn’t clear, though several exclusives including the 24/7 Support app and the Pixel Launcher definitely won’t be coming to Nexus. Android Police have advised that the ‘Night Light’ feature will be coming with the Dev preview.
Pixel represents a new focus for Google on their own hardware, so it’s natural that they would hold back some features for Pixel owners. The price tag for the Pixel devices has been somewhat of a shock for Nexus owners, but it seems Google believes that the mixture of high-end hardware and software exclusives are enough to bring users willing to pay the price on board.
