Google’s shiny new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are the first phones shipping with Google’s stock goodness in Android 8.0, but if you are still rocking one of the first generation Pixels then there is a good news for you.
Last month Google pushed out Android 8.1 developer preview to the original Pixels but they were still missing the some of the new features brought in by the second generation.
It’s about to change now with Google rolling out an update to its Pixel launcher, which brings the older Pixels on par with newer devices in terms of UI layout and feel. The first change is ‘rounded search bar’ up top which replaces the old ‘search apps” button. Like the home screen Google bar widget, the new app drawer search bar also initiates the Google App, complete with your search history, in addition to searching through installed apps.
So if you are rocking the older Pixel with Android 8.1, keep an eye open in the update section.
