Nexus 5X gets a handy Google Pixel feature with Android 7.1.2

The Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL have a handful of features not found on the latest Nexus handsets, but one is making the jump with the ability to swipe down on the fingerprint scanner to reveal the notification bar added to the Nexus 5X with Android 7.1.2.

So far Android 7.1.2 is only available in beta, and only for the Nexus 5X, Google Pixel and Pixel XL, so we can’t say for sure that the swipe for notifications gesture will be added to the Nexus 6P as well, but it would seem odd if it wasn’t.

Especially as, if anything, the feature would be more useful on the Nexus 6P, with the large screen size making it a stretch to reach the notifications pull-down.

A simple gesture

If you’re in the Android Beta Program and have a Nexus 5X, the Android 7.1.2 update should be rolling out over the air any time now, at which point you can activate this gesture in Settings > Moves, which is where we’d expect to find it on the final release of Android 7.1.2 and on the Nexus 6P as well.

Don’t expect anything else exciting in Android 7.1.2 though, as the bulk of the changes are just bug fixes and optimizations. If you’ve been holding out for Google Assistant on your Nexus you’ll have to keep on waiting.

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.