Google app 8.1 beta adds the Pixel Launcher’s ‘At a glance’ widget to other Android phones

One of the more useful features of the Pixel Launcher is the “At a glance” widget that shows your calendar appointments and acts as a shortcut to Google’s built-in Weather app. In the latest beta version of the Google app, this widget is available on the latest Android phones.

Version 8.1 of the Google app beta is rolling out this morning. Today’s most notable feature is the addition of a new “At a glance” widget. As of the first beta, this widget is available for all Android 7.0+ devices — update: according to a teardown — running the latest version of the Google app and not just Pixel devices. We’ve spotted and tested it on Android Nougat devices, in addition to the Pixel and Pixel 2.

With a beta label right in the widget’s name, it’s unclear if this availability will be the case when it widely rolls out. On a Pixel, this un-resizable 4/5 x 1 full-width widget is nearly identical to the one on the first page of the Pixel Launcher.

This includes the weather on the right-hand side of the widget, with tapping launching the full Google app shortcut. However, at the moment, tapping the date when there is no calendar appointment does not open the Google Calendar app.

Fortunately, when there is a calendar appointment, it opens right to the event. There are some minor visual and functionality differences, with the widget not featuring a countdown feature. Meanwhile, holding down does not open the Google app’s ‘At A Glance’ setting where users can customize data that appears like Calendar events, Upcoming flight information, and Traffic information.