Android Developers Blog: The Fourth Beta of Android 17

With Android 17, this change is now mandatory, and developers will no longer be able to opt out. 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 Unlike the solid green background used for camera and microphone alerts, the location indicator uses a solid blue background (though the system reverts to green if multiple permissions are in use).
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• Once enabled, you won’t see any blur in the Quick Settings panel, the notification shade, the lock screen, the app drawer, or the Recents menu.
• While the core Android system remains free, OEMs in Europe would be required to purchase a paid license to the core suite of Google applications, such as Gmail, Google Maps and the Google Play Store.
• 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.
• The Electronic Frontier Foundation has denounced that the fact that developers will be required to pay a fee and provide government-issued identification will dishearten free and open-source communities, as several of them operate with limited or no funding, and that it further expands Google’s Play Store monopoly over alternative app stores.
• There may also be “binary blob” drivers required for certain hardware components in the device.
• A report from The Information in January 2017 stated that Google is expanding its low-cost Android One program into the United States, although The Verge notes that the company will presumably not produce the actual devices itself.

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

The app will not receive any subsequent updates you make to a contact’s information, further protecting your privacy by preventing apps from tracking changes over time. This feature works only for conversation notifications and can be opted out of, so many apps don’t support it. With the Android 17 Beta 2 release, Google officially announced the kudosbet EyeDropper API, which allows apps to request a color from any pixel on the display without requiring sensitive screen-capture permissions.

Software similar to Google Play Store 11

As a result, we have a list of features that are coming to upcoming Android 16 QPR releases for Pixel devices, which are also likely to be added to the next Android platform update, Android 17. A close look at an official screenshot (seen above) shows a menu displaying Play Protect status, bootloader status, and build number info. This will detect apps that hide or change their icons and then launch from the background or abuse accessibility permissions.

• Going forward, apps will need to either be visible on your screen or run a proper foreground service designed for things like music playback, navigation, or calls.
• 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.
• Instead of a dropdown menu, the audio options are now listed as separate toggles.
• Code for the mentioned changes is present since Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3, while Android 17 Beta 3 confirmed most of these changes (but not all).
• With Android 17 Beta 4, Google has introduced Background Audio Hardening, placing stricter limits on apps that try to play audio, request audio focus, or change volume while running in the background.
• Android 17 QPR1 Beta 1 also brings an option to change the Terminal’s resolution through a new “Display resolution” setting.
• 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.

Desktop Mode and related changes

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 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.

Android 17 Features (What’s New)

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.
Additionally, by providing infrastructure that combines dedicated hardware and dedicated applications running on regular Android, Google have opened up the platform for its use in particular usage scenarios, such as the Android Auto app for cars, and Daydream, a Virtual Reality platform. Google has developed several variations of Android for specific use cases, including Android Wear, later renamed Wear OS, for wearable devices such as wrist watches, Android TV for televisions, Android Things for smart or Internet of things devices and Android Automotive for cars. While the core Android system remains free, OEMs in Europe would be required to purchase a paid license to the core suite of Google applications, such as Gmail, Google Maps and the Google Play Store. On October 16, 2018, Google announced that it would change its distribution model for Google Mobile Services in the EU, since part of its revenues streams for Android which came through use of Google Search and Chrome were now prohibited by the EU’s ruling. 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.
Beginning with Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean”, “expandable notifications” allow the user to tap an icon on the notification in order for it to expand and display more information and possible app actions right from the notification. This status bar can be pulled (swiped) down to reveal a notification screen where apps display important information or updates, as well as quick access to system controls and toggles such as display brightness, connectivity settings (WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular data), audio mode, and flashlight. Most manufacturers customize the look and features of their Android devices to differentiate themselves from their competitors. The response to user input is designed to be immediate and provides a fluid touch interface, often using the vibration capabilities of the device to provide haptic feedback to the user. The platform is also focused on supporting developers with tools like ARCore and Unity to build applications for upcoming XR devices.

Android 17: Confirmed features and changes

It is a new operating system developed by Google, designed for virtual reality and augmented reality devices, such as VR headsets and smart glasses. Under such sanctions Huawei has long-term plans to replace Android in 2022 with the new operating system, as Harmony OS was originally designed for internet of things devices, rather than for smartphones and tablets. Google introduced the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones in October 2016, marketed as being the first phones made by Google, and exclusively featured certain software features, such as the Google Assistant, before wider rollout.

Features

Following news of Google’s monthly schedule, some manufacturers, including Samsung and LG, promised to issue monthly security updates, but, as noted by Jerry Hildenbrand in Android Central in February 2016, “instead we got a few updates on specific versions of a small handful of models. And a bunch of broken promises”. In 2020, David Wang under his company Corellium released Project Sandcastle which made Android run on the iPhone 7. As a result, technical obstacles including locked bootloaders and restricted access to root permissions are common in many devices. Moreover, modified firmware such as CyanogenMod sometimes offer features, such as tethering, for which carriers would otherwise charge a premium. Android’s standard C library, Bionic, was developed by Google specifically for Android, as a derivation of the BSD’s standard C library code. Development of the Linux kernel continues independently of Android’s other source code projects.