Users can tap the indicator to see exactly which apps have recently accessed their location and manage those permissions immediately through a “Recent app use” dialog. The expanded bubble bar shows only the five most recently opened bubbles, though the bubble overflow menu lists other previously opened bubbles. Once activated, the launcher adds a “bubble” button to the context menu that appears when you press and hold on any app on the home screen.

Android 17: Confirmed features and changes

Because of this limitation, apps that need this functionality end up baking in a separate mechanism (usually a button or similar entry point outside the Photo picker) to click a new photo. The Android Photo picker lacks a direct shortcut to launch the device’s camera. With Android 17 Beta 3, widget padding, text size, and layout attributes automatically scale based on the density difference between the app’s original context and the target display. This is useful for multitasking scenarios, such as a video conferencing app keeping video call controls accessible while the user navigates other apps. Android 17 Beta 3 introduces a separate Assistant volume slider, allowing you to change the Assistant’s volume independently from the media volume. You can choose to have notifications, ringtones, and alarms play on your connected hearing aid or on your device’s built-in speaker.

Desktop Mode and related changes

• Instead, the first release supported progress-centric notifications, a new type of notification that merely displayed progress and milestones on ride-share and food delivery apps.
• When connecting or disconnecting charging power and when briefly actuating the power button or home button, all while the device is powered off, a visual battery meter whose appearance varies among vendors appears on the screen, allowing the user to quickly assess the charge status of a powered-off device without having to start it.
• In Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3, we managed to enable two new icons/buttons in the screenshot overlay.
• Android applications run in a sandbox, an isolated area of the system that does not have access to the rest of the system’s resources, unless access permissions are explicitly granted by the user when the application is installed, however this may not be possible for pre-installed apps.
• Previously, tapping the Wi-Fi Quick Settings tile would open a pop-up with options for nearby Wi-Fi networks, a toggle to enable or disable Wi-Fi, and other settings.
• Google responded that the tool, especially its initial release, was intended as a sample framework for developers to modify and build upon depending on their needs, not as a finished piracy solution.
• The “retake” button will be handy for quickly starting over after a mistake, while the “delete” button adds a convenient way to discard a recording without having to find it in your gallery.

With Android 17 Beta 2, Google is expanding its SMS OTP protection by automatically delaying access to SMS messages with OTP for apps that aren’t the intended recipient or the default SMS handler app. This feature is designed to offer seamless task continuity, enabling users to pick up exactly where they left off in their workflow across their Android ecosystem. Android 16 QPR1 included code for a new system-level feature called “Task Continuity,” and, as you’d expect, it’s designed to let you seamlessly transfer an app’s current state from one Android device to another. Back in July 2025, we spotted Google working on a Handoff feature that would allow users to sync notifications, share files, and continue apps across their Android devices. Once consent is provided, this session-based access eliminates the need for repeated prompts for location-dependent features. With Android 17 Beta 3, Google is introducing a new location button that apps can use to request the user’s precise location for one session (i.e., until you close the app).
With Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3, Google expanded the frosted-glass-like background blur to more parts of the UI, like the power menu, widget picker, and even app folders. Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 introduced subtle background blur (as mentioned above) to specific parts of the Android UI, namely the notification shade, Quick Settings panel, and Recents screen. These changes were spotted and enabled in Android 16 Beta 4 and are widely available in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1, but they are unlikely to be available in the Android 16 stable release.
As of Android 11, Android has required apps to conform to a data privacy policy known as scoped storage, under which apps may only automatically have access to certain directories (such as those for pictures, music, and video), and app-specific directories they have created themselves. Google later changed its Android specification documents to state that «Touchscreens will be supported», although «the Product was designed with the presence of discrete physical buttons as an assumption, therefore a touchscreen cannot completely replace physical buttons». As you’d expect, the “share” button will launch the system’s share menu, and the “edit” button will prompt you to open the video in a compatible media editor. Instead of a dropdown menu, the audio options are now listed as separate toggles. Parents can use this menu to set daily screen time limits, schedule downtime to automatically lock the device at night, and restrict specific apps via timers or total blocks.

• In a Google for Developers session at Google I/O 2026, the company announced that Magic Cue is expanding to more third-party apps, including Snapchat.
• Fairphone, a company focused on sustainability, explained that its inability to extend software support was due to Qualcomm’s policies rather than its own.
• This includes defining the video/vvc MIME type in MediaFormat, adding new VVC profiles in MediaCodecInfo, and integrating support into MediaExtractor.
• Since 2008, Android has seen numerous updates which have incrementally improved the operating system, adding new features and fixing bugs in previous releases.
• The dedicated option key, also known as menu key, and its on-screen simulation, is no longer supported since Android version 10.
• You can choose to have notifications, ringtones, and alarms play on your connected hearing aid or on your device’s built-in speaker.

This feature is similar to features that OEMs have added to such devices, allowing users to run apps at any window size and aspect ratio. Screen magnification options in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2Screen magnification options in July Android Canary/QPR1 Beta 3 build You can now configure it to launch a specific app of your choosing, expanding on the previous options (middle click, launch Google, go home, go back, or view recent apps). Starting with the touchpad, the three-finger tap gesture introduced in QPR1 is now more customizable. Android 16 QPR2 delivers a variety of new features for touchpads and mice, including expanded gesture actions and robust accessibility options.

Less intrusive phone call notifications

When enabled, adjusting the slider dynamically adjusts the brightness of specific elements in an HDR image, such as the sky or water. It’s worth noting that these screen saver features are only new to older models, as they have been available on the Pixel 10 series since launch, complementing the lineup’s Pixelsnap wireless charging accessories. This meant that if you wanted to use the Home Controls screen saver during the day but switch to the Clock at night, you had to toggle between them manually. In Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2, users noticed that swiping away apps in the Recents menu is now faster than ever.

Storage

As such, we’re labeling these features as “carry over features” as they technically went live with Android 16, but will most likely reach the wider Android platform with Android 17. These features are live on Pixel phones running Android 16, but Android OEMs could adopt them as part of the Android 17 platform update. Google added features to Android 16 after the initial stable release, primarily through the Android 16 QPR1, QPR2, and QPR3 releases. Presuming Google doesn’t change its timelines, we expect stable Android 17 to be released sometime in June 2026. Before the official reveal, a trusted source within Google had shared evidence with us that clearly shows the company using “CinnamonBun” as the internal codename for API level 37.0, i.e., for Android 17.

Due to the lack of Android tablet-specific applications in 2011, early Android tablets had to make do with existing smartphone applications that were ill-suited to larger screen sizes, whereas the dominance of Apple’s iPad was reinforced by the large number of tablet-specific iOS applications. According to Gartner research company, Android-based devices outsold all contenders, every year since 2012. Research company Canalys estimated in the second quarter of 2009, that Android had a 2.8% share of worldwide smartphone shipments. Thus, forks of Android that make major changes to the operating system itself do not include any of Google’s non-free components, stay incompatible with applications that require them, and must ship with an alternative software marketplace in lieu of Google Play Store.

Why doesn’t the Google Play Store work even after installing the APK?

We’ve also gotten our hands on Android 17 QPR betas and Android 16 QPR3 stable (with the March Pixel Drop), which give us a peek at unreleased features destined for the future. This release confirms the key features we’ll see in the Android 17 stable update. Android 17 beta releases are here, shedding light on confirmed features and Google’s plans. Upload your music library for free and listen to your music anywhere, on any device.
Android 17 Beta 3 adds support for Vendor-defined camera extensions, allowing hardware partners to provide Android apps with access to camera features such as ‘Super Resolution’ and cutting-edge AI-driven enhancements. Previously, changes to the media volume would typically automatically affect the Assistant volume and vice versa. To set up the feature, users must first tap the “Automatic PIN management” toggle, then enter their phone’s passcode or scan spinalto casino their biometrics. With the Android Canary 2511 release, Google quietly implemented a change that automatically enables wireless debugging when a device connects to a trusted network.