It’s been a little over a month since Android 7.0 Nougat dropped, but there’s a new update coming soon. Android 7.1 will debut in Google’s upcoming Pixel smartphones, and it will be centered around Google Assistant, an artificially intelligent bot that acts like a personalized version of Google Now.
Related: Everything you need to know about Google Assistant
Google is holding an event on October 4, where it will announce several new products such as the Pixel, Pixel XL, Google Home, Daydream VR, and more. Assistant is a core part of the company’s future, and it’s the main attraction of Google’s $130 Amazon Echo-competitor.
Still, it’s not the only addition coming with Android 7.1. Here’s everything we think we know about the upcoming update.
Pixel Launcher
Google Now is the search giant’s service that offers up relevant information based on your personal data. For example, if you have a flight coming up, Google Now will pull out critical flight information from your email for quick access. It does the same with any packages you have on the way, movies you may be interested in, the weather, news, and more. Google Now is what’s powering the Google search app for iOS and Android.
Google Now Launcher debuted in 2013 as a barebones launcher that offered quick access to Google Now and Google Search. It became integrated as the default launcher in Nexus smartphones and tablets, starting with the Nexus 5 — Google Now was just a right swipe away.
Related: Huawei reportedly passed on the chance to build Google’s Pixel phones
Android Police found that Google removed all traces of Google Now from the most recent beta version of the Google Search app, meaning the company is likely rebranding the service to focus on Assistant. That’s where the Pixel Launcher comes in.
It’s unclear if the new launcher is replacing the Google Now Launcher, but it’s going to be the default launcher on the Pixel and the Pixel XL. It features the date on the top right and a “G” tab for quick access to Google. There’s now a faded dock, and you can pull it up to access all your apps — it’s an app drawer without the need for an app drawer icon. You’ll be able to search for apps quickly with this drawer, and it will also show most-used apps in the highest row.
Folders have a slightly new look, and the settings to change wallpapers have improved. Icons in the Pixel Launcher will also be circular, according to Android Police, to offer a uniform look.
The Pixel Launcher likely will sit as yet another third-party launcher in the Google Play Store for non-Pixel devices. You won’t be forced to use it, and even if you have a Pixel smartphone, you can change your launcher to something else thanks to the open nature of Android.
We can’t verify this information, but we won’t have to wait too long to find out whether or not it’s accurate.
Google Assistant, the heart of Android
Assistant will also have a mobile home — it will be baked into Pixel Launcher. It’s unclear, though, whether it will be a Pixel-exclusive feature or one that’s coming to all Android smartphones, including ones in the Nexus program.
Google Assistant is already available for mobile devices, though in a limited way. Google has a “Preview Edition” of Assistant in Google Allo, its latest messaging app.
Related: Hands-on: Google Allo
Integration with the Pixel Launcher may come through the “G” tab icon at the top left of the home screen. Leaks of the Pixel XL smartphone on Carphone Warehouse show an Assistant chat interface, and it’s likely what will come up when you tap the Google tab. Here’s a look:
Google showed off third-party integrations with Assistant back at Google I/O, so it’s likely we’ll see that capability introduced at the event.
We’ll have to wait and see whether Assistant will make its way into Android devices with 7.0 and 7.1, or whether you need the Pixel Launcher to access it. The launcher may be available on the Play Store for certain Android versions, just like Google Now Launcher.
If not, Allo may be the only way others can interact with Assistant on a mobile phone.
[Source:-Digital Trends]
