Android 17 expected release date, supported devices and must-know features
What's changing vs Android 16:
- App Bubbles
- Gemini Intelligence
- Pause Point – a new feature designed to interrupt doomscrolling
- New creative tools for content creators
- Rambler for Gboard – speak naturally and get clean, polished text
- Custom widgets with Gemini Intelligence
Expected release timeline:
- Android 17 was officially announced on May 12, 2026, during Google's The Android Show.
- The stable version has now been released to supported Pixel devices.
Android 17 release date
Google took the wraps off Android 17 at The Android Show on May 12, 2026. Android 17 officially launched on June 16, 2026, and has since rolled out to most supported Pixel devices. Additional devices are expected to pick up the update in the months ahead.
| OS version | Announcement date |
|---|---|
| Android 17 | May 12, 2026 |
| Android 16 | June 10, 2025 |
| Android 15 | Developer preview: February 16, 2024, General availability: September 3, 2024 |
Android 17 codename
- Cinnamon Bun
Another sweet name for Android 17 | Image by Horizon Organic"
Google stopped publicizing official Android codenames years ago, but the names keep showing up in code and internal documents. Android Authority dug into a November 2025 Canary Android build and spotted "Cinnamon Bun" as the internal designation for Android 17.
The name Cinnamon Bun can be found in the November Canary release | Image by Android Authority
The name slots neatly into Google's alphabetical naming tradition – Android 16 was Baklava (B), so Cinnamon Bun (C) is the logical successor. Cupcake was in the running too, but that name was already taken by Android 1.5 back in 2009.
Android 17 eligible devices
Android 17 is available first on the following Pixel devices:
- Pixel 6 and 6 Pro
- Pixel 6a
- Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
- Pixel 7a
- Pixel Fold
- Pixel Tablet
- Pixel 8 and 8 Pro
- Pixel 8a
- Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold
- Pixel 9a
- Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 10 Pro Fold
- Pixel 10a
Once Android 17 finishes its Pixel rollout, other manufacturers will start pushing their own updates – though the timeline varies by brand, since each company needs to layer its own interface and hardware optimizations on top of the base OS.
Samsung Galaxy flagships from the Galaxy S23 onward are set to receive Android 17 through One UI 9, which Samsung launched alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 on July 22, 2026. The broader Galaxy lineup will follow, though Samsung hasn't locked in specific dates. Mid-range Galaxy devices released from fall 2024 onward should also be in line for the upgrade.
Android 17 features
Google previewed Android 17's headline features at The Android Show in May 2026, covering Gemini Intelligence, custom widgets, Rambler, Pause Point, and a new set of creator-focused tools.
One notable change under the hood: apps targeting Android 17 can no longer force a fixed orientation or block resizing on tablets and foldables. Going forward, all apps will be required to properly adapt to different screen sizes and form factors.
Gemini Intelligence
Gemini Intelligence features at a glance. | Image by Google
Gemini Intelligence represents the next evolution of on-device AI on Android. Rather than fielding one-off questions, it functions as an intelligent agent capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks that span multiple apps.
As a practical example, it can pull a school syllabus from your Gmail and automatically add the required textbooks to a shopping cart. It can also turn a grocery list sitting in your notes app into a ready-to-purchase cart you can check out with a single tap.
The feature is rolling out first on select flagship Pixel and Galaxy devices – specifically those with processors powerful enough to handle its workload – before expanding to a wider range of Android phones over time.
Custom widgets on Android
Android 17 gives you the ability to build your own home screen widgets simply by describing what you want in plain text. Gemini Intelligence handles the layout from there.
The resulting widgets follow Google's Material Expressive design language, so they look like they belong on Android – but the content and functionality are entirely your own.
Rambler feature
Rambler is a new AI-powered dictation mode built into Gboard that lets you speak naturally and converts your speech into clean, ready-to-send text.
Where standard voice input transcribes everything verbatim, Rambler strips out filler words like "um" and "uh," handles mid-sentence self-corrections, and restructures your spoken thoughts into a coherent message. You get a chance to review and edit everything before it goes anywhere.
Pause Point
Pause Point is designed to help break the doomscrolling habit. Opening a distracting app now triggers a brief splash screen with a 10-second countdown, giving you a moment to decide whether you actually want to go in. The feature also lets you set hard time limits on specific apps.
Pause Point in action in Android 17. | Images by Images by Google
Content creators' tools
Android 17 brings a handful of new tools aimed specifically at content creators.
Screen Reactions lets you capture a picture-in-picture video of yourself reacting to what's on your display, using the screen itself as the background — no green screen required.
A new collaboration with Meta brings meaningful camera upgrades to Instagram, including Ultra HDR photo capture and playback, built-in video stabilization, and Google's Night Sight processing for both photos and videos.
The full capture-to-upload pipeline has also been overhauled so images and videos don't lose quality when posted.
Adobe Premiere is arriving on Android as a dedicated mobile app later in summer 2026, complete with exclusive editing templates built around the mobile workflow.
App Bubbles
App Bubbles let you shrink any app down to a floating bubble that sits on top of your screen, so you can keep using it alongside whatever else you're doing. It works along the same lines as the floating chat notifications that apps like Messenger have offered for years – but Android 17 extends the capability to any app, system-wide.
Some third-party Android skins have offered something similar for a while. Android 17 brings it to every Android phone as a native feature.
Continue On
Android 17 introduces Continue On, a feature that makes it easier to pick up where you left off when switching between Android devices.
If you're in the middle of something on your phone, your tablet's taskbar will surface the same app with a one-tap option to jump straight back in. If the app isn't installed on the second device, it falls back to the web version automatically.
Googlebooks
Android 17 also marks a broader shift in how Google thinks about the platform. Google has formally declared Android development "Compose-first," meaning all new APIs and developer tools will be built around its modern UI framework going forward.
The launch also brought Googlebooks into the conversation – Google's next-generation ChromeOS platform built on Android – as part of the company's broader push to make Android 17 work seamlessly across a wider range of form factors.
Privacy features
Android 17 introduces several meaningful privacy upgrades. Apps targeting the new API level must now request explicit user permission before accessing local networks – closing a gap that previously allowed apps to silently scan home networks for connected devices.
SMS one-time-password messages now face a three-hour delay for any app that isn't the designated recipient, which cuts down on phishing exposure.
Android 17 also adds Post-Quantum Cryptography support, allowing app signatures and key storage to use quantum-resistant algorithms – a forward-looking security measure designed to hold up against future computing threats.
Features spotted in beta – not yet in stable release
Android 17 has now launched, but a couple of features spotted in beta code didn't make it into the stable release – they may arrive via future QPR updates.
For one, code in Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3 suggests you may be able to disable the globe icon from Gboard. The option to disable the Gboard globe icon did not make it into the Android 17 stable release. It may still arrive in a future QPR update.
Another feature found in Android 17 QPR1 Beta is a bounce-back effect for Quick Settings. The animation also didn't ship with stable Android 17 and may come in a future update.
Features from Android 16 QPRs
QPRs (Quarterly Platform Releases) are incremental updates Google ships between major Android versions. Several features that first appeared in Android 16 QPR updates are now being rolled out to all Android phones via Android 17.
Worth noting: Material 3 Expressive – Google's visual design overhaul – already went live on Pixel phones through an Android 16 QPR update. Android 17 is how it reaches non-Pixel Android devices. You can find more about Material 3 Expressive in our dedicated article.
Features that carry over from Android 16 QPR1:
- Material 3 Expressive
- Desktop Mode and related changes
- Live Updates
- Less intrusive phone call notifications
- Recents screen changes
- Quicker swiping in Recents
- Improvements to Factory Reset Protection
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts
- Auto-themed icons
- Expanded Dark theme
- Low light mode
- Enhanced HDR brightness
- Disable background blur
- Organized Sound Settings
- Ambient Always On Display: Blurred wallpaper on lock screen
- Lock screen widgets
- 90:10 split-screen multitasking on phones
- Built-in Parental Controls
- Identity Check expands to apps and watches
- Secure Lock Device
- Disable Failed Authentication Lock
- Time zone change notification
- Updated UI for sideloading apps
- Graphical app support in the Linux Terminal
- Enhanced support for touchpads and mice
Material 3 Expressive already landed on Pixel phones | Image by Google
Android 17 beta
Android 17 has cleared beta and is now live on Pixel phones. If you're still on Android 17 Beta 4.1 and haven't enrolled in the Android 17 QPR1 beta, opting out of the beta program will get you the stable release over the air.
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