Android 17 beta releases are here, shedding light on confirmed features and Google’s plans. It was designed by then-Google graphic designer Irina Blok on November 5, 2007, when Android was announced. At Google I/O in May 2016, Google announced Daydream, a virtual reality platform that relied on a smartphone and provided VR capabilities through a virtual reality headset and controller designed by Google itself. Ouya, a video game console running Android, became one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns, crowdfunding US$8.5m for its development, and was later followed by other Android-based consoles, such as Nvidia’s Shield Portable – an Android device in a video game controller form factor.
Android 17 Features (What’s New)
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. 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.
The dedicated “Screenshot” and “Select” buttons are now also enclosed in pill-shaped containers, creating a more consistent look in the Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 release. This icon is widely kudosbet understood to indicate an additional menu, so its presence should help more users realize they can access further actions directly from the recents screen. Now, the Recents screen displays the app’s icon and name, along with a downward-pointing arrow, within a small pill-shaped button overlaid on the task. With Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1, Google made some subtle changes to the Recents screen.
Storage
Shortly thereafter, Qualcomm followed suit, offering extending support timelines for OEM building phones with its chipsets, first to seven years in 2024, followed by eight years in 2025. Fairphone, a company focused on sustainability, explained that its inability to extend software support was due to Qualcomm’s policies rather than its own. To address this concern, Google introduced Project Treble, a framework designed to streamline the development and deployment of Android updates via Google Play Services, reducing manufacturers’ involvement in the update process.
Customizable keyboard shortcuts
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. Tapping this notification prompts you to open the file in a video player app because Android lacks a native UI for viewing screen recordings. This presumably lets you record video from the front-facing camera while capturing your screen. This new toolbar also introduces new options, including a “show selfie camera” toggle.
- Google engineer Patrick Brady once stated in the company’s developer conference that “Android is not Linux”, with Computerworld adding that “Let me make it simple for you, without Linux, there is no Android”.
- 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 most visible change to the screen recorder is the replacement of the pop-up dialog with a new toolbar.
- When enabled, adjusting the slider dynamically adjusts the brightness of specific elements in an HDR image, such as the sky or water.
- Depending on device, its long press may simulate a menu button press or engage split screen view, the latter of which is the default behaviour since stock Android version 7.
- Some other hardware was initially required, but those requirements have been relaxed or eliminated altogether.