Android Central has reported that Google has started sending out surveys to some owners of the Pixel 2 XL. The survey can be seen in the form of a small pop-up that appears in the settings menu. The message reads “Help improve Pixel: 1 minute survey.” Users can press “no, thanks” to make the message go away, but agreeing to it will prompt a series of questions.
Interesting. Google’s running a survey in the settings of the Pixel 2 XL … pic.twitter.com/X7XQi56fCx
— Andrew Martonik (@andrewmartonik) January 4, 2018
At the end you have room to type out comments and what you do/don’t like. Very odd. Hasn’t shown up on my Pixel 2, only the 2 XL.
— Andrew Martonik (@andrewmartonik) January 4, 2018
The questions are presented in the form of a larger pop-up message, so users are never forced to leave the settings menu. The questions include the basics like “Before getting your Pixel, which company made your previous phone?” and “How satisfied are you with this phone?” The end of the survey also offers users the chance to give direct feedback to Google in the form of typed comments.
Android Central reported that its staff had only seen the surveys pop up on the Pixel 2 XL and not on the standard Pixel 2. At the moment, it is unclear how Google is deciding who participates in these surveys.
Google likely hopes that these surveys will help it create better products in the future, but there is cause for concern. The Pixel 2 XL is not a cheap phone, and users who have paid the flagship price have a reasonable expectation that they won’t be bothered by pop-up surveys or ads.
In addition to the Pixel 2, Android Central has also reported that Google has started sending out surveys to users of Android Messages. The questions are largely similar to the ones found in the Pixel 2 survey. While these surveys might annoy some users, it is a bit more acceptable, considering they come from an app that users chose to download.
This kind of behavior isn’t totally new, however. OnePlus did something similar with the OnePlus 5 and several phones for sale on Amazon feature ads on the lock screens. But those phones also come with a substantial discount to make up for the ads.
Update: Updated to include information regarding the surveys sent to Android Messages users.
