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Google Reveals Key New Features of Android 17

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Today, 12:44 PM by Rich Brome @rbrome.bsky.social

Google has released the second beta version of Android 17 for developers. In doing so, it has revealed a list of new features that users can expect in the new OS. The first is Bubbles, which is a full multi-window capability, like a desktop OS. Although most useful on large-screen devices like foldables and tablets, it will work on regular phones as well. "Users can create an app bubble ... by long-pressing an app icon on the launcher." Also new is a Contacts Picker, which gives apps a more privacy-oriented way to gather specific contact data. It works similarly to the Photo Picker introduced in Android 13, in that it puts the OS in-between apps and contacts data, so that only minimum necessary contact data is shared with the app, instead of the app being given unrestricted access to all contacts data. A new "Handoff" API will enable cross-device app handoff, where users can start a task in an app on one device (such as an Android phone) and seamlessly continue the same task on another device (like an Android tablet). The API supports both native app-to-app handoffs, and app-to-web handoffs as a fallback. Android 17 will also support two new ranging technologies: UWB DL-TDOA for indoor navigation, and the Proximity Detection feature of the newest Wi-Fi standards. Another new privacy-enhancing API is the EyeDropper, which lets apps gather a color sample from any visible pixel without needing to "see" other apps. Finally, Android 17 introduces new restrictions on messaging APIs, intended to keep third-party apps from maliciously accessing one-time passcodes (OTP).

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