Earlier this afternoon it was discovered that a new version of Android 7.1 Nougat was being pushed out to Pixel and Pixel XL owners in Canada, and while there is no mention of the update hitting devices in other regions just yet, it seems now that the OTA files are available for download for anyone who is interested in sideloading the software, should they not want to wait for Google to send out the updates as per whatever schedule that Google has planned. That being said, if you want to download the new update to either device you can grab the OTA files from the buttons down below.
If you’re unfamiliar with sideloading OTA zip files, you may want to wait until Google sends out the update proper to your device in your region, but if you’re deadset on loading the software on now you can brush up with a tutorial on how to flash OTA files to your device. Unfortunately, right now this is the only way to get the new update if you aren’t in Canada, and even then not all users in Canada are likely to have the software show up on their device just yet, and it’s entirely possible that it could take a few days to roll out to all users in the region.
With that said, for now there is no detail on when Google may plan to push these builds out to Pixel and Pixel XL owners in the U.S., but seeing as Canada is part of North America a wider North American rollout could be just around the corner. If you need a quick recap, this update doesn’t seem to add a whole lot to the software features of the Pixel or Pixel XL, as the only reported feature additions currently are two new gestures which include a double-tap to wake the screen, as well as a lift the phone to wake the screen. If you don’t care too much about either of those options right now then there’s no rush to load up the OTA, but if you want a different option for waking the display without having to press the power key you could always use an app called Ambi-turner which allows a wake gesture of the ambient display mode by simply waving your hand over the screen.
Pixel - Build Number NPF26JPixel XL - Build Number NPF26J