Google's Evaluating Android 7.1 Fingerprint Swipe Gesture for Nexuses

Google's new Pixel phones sport a slew of features that the Nexus 6P and 5X don't. While some of these features cannot exist supported due to hardware limitations, there are a few that could be. The company introduced a Android vii.1 fingerprint gesture on the Pixel and Pixel XL that allows users to swipe the scanner to easily admission the notification shade.

Googler Ian Lake had said last month that Pixel-sectional characteristic won't come up to existing Nexus phones since they crave the new fingerprint sensor. Turns out both the latest Pixel phones and terminal year's Nexus devices accept the exact same fingerprint sensor.

Android 7.1 Nougat and Pixel-exclusive features: the brouhaha continues

Google Pixel and Pixel XL run Android vii.1 Nougat, out of the box. This is not only the commencement time nosotros are using Google-branded smartphones, but it is besides the offset fourth dimension that Google has restricted some features to its ain devices. Pixel-exclusive features are making the otherwise-open globe of Android rather convoluted. Before now, with the release of a new Android version, you received a changelog of all the new features coming to your phones.

Now, nosotros have to effigy out what exactly from this changelog will piece of work with Nexus phones and what remains exclusive to Google's own Pixel lineup. Whether this approach continues in the coming years or non, remains to exist seen. Just, for the first year of this new Android era, it is definitely a piddling confusing to travel through the heady new features that Android 7.1 Nougat has to offer.

"The fingerprint swipe requires specific hardware (edit: and firmware) which unfortunately is not present on the Nexus 5X and 6P AFAIK."

Google'due south evaluating an update to bring Android 7.1 fingerprint gestures to Nexus 6P/5X

It appears that while Google may accept limited some features to the Pixel, it is open up to offering them on the Nexus devices, every bit long as the hardware can back up them (apart from the Google Assistant, that is).

In a argument toAndroid Police, Google has said that it's "evaluating" a firmware update for the Nexus 6P and Neuxs 5X to add together the new fingerprint gesture. "Google'southward willingness to comment at all on future plans here would seem to betoken that they are taking user feedback well-nigh the result into consideration, and are at the very to the lowest degree willing to explore the feasibility of providing the feature to owners of last year'south Nexuses," AP said.

While there is no confirmation whether nosotros will see this feature coming, it is definitely a positive sign that the introduction of Pixel lineup doesn't hateful other Android phones will suffer from lack of attention from the Mountain View tech giant.