According to reports on 9to5Google and information from Reddit users, the Google Pixel C tablet is getting an OS update to Android 7.1.2 Nougat, which brings a makeover that tweaks the UI to be more like the company’s Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones.
Until now this update has been available to beta testers, but is now rolling out to all users.
One of the biggest changes reported is the new multitasking view. Instead of having to scroll through your open apps, the new app switcher shows you the last either apps you opened in a grid layout.
Once you upgrade your Pixel C to Android 7.1.2 Nougat, you won’t see an ‘All Apps’ button icon at the bottom any more. They’ve changed that so all it takes is a swipe up from the bottom of the screen to see all the apps that came pre-loaded or were installed on your device.
You’ll also see more rounded app icons for Google’s own apps, and those of developers who have updated their icons.
Other notable changes are the search bar, which is now replaced by the “G” symbol on the top left of the screen, and the date and weather widget, which has been moved to the top right. But the weather page that appears on tapping the date and weather widget will only open in portrait mode even if you’re landscape-docked to the keyboard.
In case you haven’t upgraded yet, you can head over to the Settings section of your Pixel C tablet and tap on About, where you’ll see the current version and an option for an OTA software update.
It’s surprising that Google has decided to push the latest update to this particular device. It’s been on the shelves for the past 18 months but the relatively high launch price did affect sales to a great extent, especially since this was a first-time tablet with Google branding.
Last year, Google brought the price down significantly for developers ahead of the Android 7.0 Nougat rollout, lopping off about 25% from the list price of $499 (32GB variant) to $375, but retaining the $149 price on the keyboard.
No doubt, it was an important device for real-world testing of Android N at the time, but as a consumer tablet it didn’t take off the way Surface Pro 3 or Pro 4 did. There are expectations that it will be “put to pasture” very soon.
In the meantime, if you own a Google Pixel C, get the Android 7.1.2 Nougat update and see what you like or dislike about the tweaked UI.
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