Android 7.1.2 beta 2 finally brings notification fingerprint gesture support to Nexus 6P

When the first beta version of Android 7.1.2 Nougat was announced back in January, it came as no surprise that not many new features were present. Google originally said it was meant to be an incremental maintenance release focused on refinements and bug fixes, and for the most part, that was true. That is, except for Nexus 5X owners who got a little somethin’ extra.

Google brought a handy feature to the Nexus 5X that allows users to swipe down on the fingerprint sensor to reveal the notification shade. This feature was present on the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, along with most recent phones from HUAWEI. If you’ve never used a phone with this little feature, it’s super helpful, especially on bigger phones… like the Nexus 6P. Unfortunately, when the Nexus 6P’s 7.1.2 beta update finally arrived (and arrived late, I might add), this feature wasn’t present. Odd, I know, but Google clearly struggled a bit with getting this update out on time.

Now Google has just started rolling out the second Android 7.1.2 Nougat beta update to Pixel and Nexus owners, and whaddya know, the feature has finally been added to the Nexus 6P!

I’ve only had a few minutes to test it out so far, but it’s been working pretty well for me. Just enable the toggle under the Moves section of the settings menu, and you’ll be able to swipe down on the fingerprint sensor to bring down the notification shade. You also swipe down again to access your quick settings, and swipe up on the sensor to collapse the notification shade, too.

Are you a Nexus 6P owner? If so, are you happy to see this new feature added? Let us know in the comments.