Release notes

Android 17 Beta 3 (March 2026)

Android 17 has officially reached Platform Stability with Beta 3. The API surface is now locked, meaning it is time to perform final compatibility testing and publish your Android 17-targeted apps to the Google Play Store.

If you develop an SDK, library, tool, or game engine, it is critical to release your updates now so downstream developers are not blocked from targeting the latest SDK features.

Following is a summary of new capabilities, behavior changes, and enhancements introduced in Android 17 beta 3:

Media and Camera Enhancements

• Photo Picker Customization: You can now modify the grid view aspect ratio of the photo picker. Using the PhotoPickerUiCustomizationParams API, you can switch from the default 1:1 square to a 9:16 portrait display, allowing for better UI integration.
• RAW14 Image Format: Professional camera apps can now capture 14-bit per pixel RAW images using the new ImageFormat.RAW14 constant, allowing for maximum detail and color depth from compatible sensors.
• Vendor-Defined Camera Extensions: Hardware partners can now define custom camera extension modes (e.g., 'Super Resolution' or AI enhancements). Query these via the isExtensionSupported(int) API.
• Camera Device Type APIs: Identify whether a camera is built-in hardware, an external USB webcam, or a virtual camera.
• Bluetooth LE Audio Hearing Aids: A new device category (AudioDeviceInfo.TYPE_BLE_HEARING_AID) allows apps to distinguish hearing aids from generic LE Audio headsets, enabling tailored UI iconography.
• Granular Hearing Aid Audio Routing: Users can independently route system sounds (notifications, ringtones, alarms) to either connected hearing aids or the device speaker. This is handled at the system level and requires no API changes.
• Extended HE-AAC Software Encoder: A new system-provided encoder (c2.android.xheaac.encoder) supports high and low bitrates for significantly better audio in low-bandwidth conditions, including mandatory support for loudness metadata to ensure consistent volume.

Performance and Battery

• Reduced Wakelocks for Idle Alarms: A new callback-based variant of AlarmManager.setExactAndAllowWhileIdle accepts an OnAlarmListener instead of a PendingIntent. This reduces power consumption and long partial wakelocks for apps (like medical monitors or messaging sockets) that need precise callbacks during Doze or Battery Saver modes.

Privacy and Security

• System-Provided Location Button: You can embed a secure, system-rendered location button via Jetpack. Tapping it grants your app precise location access for the current session only, without triggering a system dialog. Requires the USE_LOCATION_BUTTON permission.
• Discrete Password Visibility: "Show passwords" settings are now split between touch inputs (briefly echoes the last character) and physical keyboards (hidden immediately by default). Standard framework components respect this automatically; custom fields should migrate to the ShowSecretsSetting API.
• Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) Hybrid Signing: Android introduces the v3.2 APK Signature Scheme, combining classical signatures (RSA/Elliptic Curve) with ML-DSA signatures. This prepares apps for NIST standards and quantum computing advancements.

User Experience and System UI

• Widget Support on External Displays: Improved visual consistency for widgets across different pixel densities. RemoteViews.setViewPadding now accepts complex units (DP/SP), and widgets can retrieve specific DisplayMetrics via OPTION_APPWIDGET_DISPLAY_ID.
• Desktop Interactive Picture-in-Picture (iPiP): Apps can request to be moved to a "pinned" windowing layer during desktop mode (default on external displays). These pinned windows remain interactive and always-on-top. Requires USE_PINNED_WINDOWING_LAYER and PiP permissions.
• Hidden Home Screen App Labels: Users can now hide app labels on the home screen. Ensure your app icon is highly recognizable!
• Redesigned Screen Recording: A new floating toolbar improves recording controls and capture settings for creators. The UI is automatically excluded from the final video.
• Bubbles: The windowing mode feature introduced in Beta 2 is now fully enabled.

Core Functionality & Health

• VPN App Exclusion Settings: VPN apps can use the ACTION_VPN_APP_EXCLUSION_SETTINGS intent to launch a system-managed screen where users can select specific apps to bypass the VPN tunnel (split-tunneling).
• Dynamic System Font Fallback: Android now supports runtime updates to the font fallback chain, delivering updated emojis and typography without a full OS update.
• OpenJDK 21 & 25 Updates: Integration of modern OpenJDK features, including updated Unicode support and enhanced SSL support for named groups in TLS.
• Health Connect Device Data Providers (DDPs): Health Connect can now distinguish between data generated by apps and data originating directly from system-verified hardware (like Wear OS watches or the phone itself).

Top Issues fixed in Beta 3

• A system-level regression in Android 16 process lifecycle management that caused frequent, random app restarts and screen flickering, which previously led to lost user progress and interrupted app states across multiple third-party applications. (Issue #440017096)
• An issue where Expanded Dark Mode failed to apply to apps in Work and Private profiles. (Issue #476409380)
• A camera failure that prevented users from switching to the 5x telephoto lens. (Issue #485610295, Issue #488274607)
• Stuttering and erratic behavior during ultra-wide to wide lens transitions. (Issue #452650681)
• A system hang that caused the lock screen to become unresponsive after disconnecting from Android Auto or locking the device. (Issue #457527675)
• A system instability issue causing device freezes and reboots when using Android Auto. (Issue #455555269, Issue #457973643)
• A system instability issue causing frequent spontaneous reboots and device hangs. (Issue #485892529, Issue #488619007, Issue #488482317, Issue #485627106, Issue #489454751, Issue #487638484, Issue #487604772, Issue #485385078)
• A regression that caused unexpected device reboots. (Issue #420999948, Issue #426316038)
• A crash during rapid audio focus changes. (Issue #477151825)
• A Bluetooth pairing hang of up to 150 seconds. (Issue #466163481)
• A system-level instability causing spontaneous reboots during idle periods. (Issue #297421786, Issue #300558078, Issue #301726714, Issue #310348072, Issue #321233271, Issue #320461892, Issue #348326714, Issue #348297618, Issue #348290709, Issue #348242411, Issue #348217723, Issue #348541549, Issue #348770195, Issue #348786196, Issue #348766331, Issue #349273927, Issue #349977622, Issue #350685466, Issue #351357895, Issue #352743431, Issue #354467134, Issue #355126951, Issue #355602077, Issue #355239966, Issue #357282489, Issue #358040619, Issue #358344787, Issue #360475166, Issue #360461108, Issue #360120511, Issue #360968601, Issue #361916913, Issue #362650982, Issue #363213047, Issue #363464720, Issue #363205584, Issue #361007622, Issue #364849917, Issue #365338167, Issue #370154739, Issue #370041210)
• An issue where incoming calls failed to trigger device vibration. (Issue #473464803, Issue #470955250)
• A conflict where Battery Saver remained active indefinitely when an 80% charging limit was enabled. (Issue #366996806)
• A display rendering issue that caused visual artifacts when interacting with Google Message notifications from the lock screen. (Issue #486491783, Issue #486806705, Issue #485168942)
• An issue where notifications occasionally failed to dismiss or reappeared. (Issue #454647834)
• A rendering issue causing visual artifacts during back-navigation transitions. (Issue #485316132)
• An issue where system status bar icons would randomly disappear, preventing users from seeing battery or network levels. (Issue #473447873, Issue #484689844, Issue #484382982, Issue #472268834, Issue #489158801, Issue #484569035)

Android 17 Beta 2 (February 2026)

Beta 2 is now available. Similar to beta 1, this release is suitable for development, testing, and general use. However, Android 17 is still in active development, so the Android system and apps running on it might not always work as expected.

What's new in Beta 2

User Experience & System UI

• Bubbles: Users can now bubble any app by long-pressing launcher icons. On large screens, a new bubble bar in the taskbar manages organized and anchored bubbles. Apps should follow multi-window guidelines.
• EyeDropper API: A new system API allows apps to capture pixel colors from anywhere on the display without requiring screen capture permissions.
• Contacts Picker: The ACTION_PICK_CONTACTS intent provides a system-level picker. It grants temporary, session-based access to specific fields, reducing the need for full READ_CONTACTS permissions.
• Touchpad Pointer Capture: By default, captured touchpads now behave like mice, reporting relative movement and gestures instead of raw finger coordinates. Legacy absolute mode remains available via POINTER_CAPTURE_MODE_ABSOLUTE.
• Interactive Chooser: Apps can use getInitialRestingBounds on a ChooserSession to identify the final UI position of the Chooser for better layout adjustments.

Connectivity & Cross-Device

• Cross-device Handoff: The new Handoff API enables state resumption across devices (e.g., phone to tablet) via CompanionDeviceManager.
• Advanced Ranging:
  • UWB DL-TDOA: Supports FiRA 4.0 for privacy-preserving indoor navigation.
  • Proximity Detection: Implements WiFi Alliance specs for improved WiFi-based ranging.
• Data Plan Enhancements: Apps can query carrier-allocated downlink/uplink max rates for streaming using getStreamingAppMaxDownlinkKbps and getStreamingAppMaxUplinkKbps.

Core Functionality, Privacy & Performance

• Local Network Access: Android 17 introduces the ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK permission (part of the NEARBY_DEVICES group) to protect LAN communication.
• Time Zone Broadcast: A new intent, ACTION_TIMEZONE_OFFSET_CHANGED, triggers specifically on offset changes like DST transitions.
• NPU Management: Apps targeting Android 17 must declare the FEATURE_NEURAL_PROCESSING_UNIT hardware feature to directly access the NPU.
• ICU 78: Updated internationalization libraries support Unicode 17.
• SMS OTP Protection: To prevent hijacking, Android 17 delays programmatic access to OTP messages by three hours for most apps. Developers should transition to SMS Retriever or SMS User Consent APIs.

Top Issues fixed in Beta 2

• A platform stability regression in Android 16 that caused active apps to unexpectedly restart or refresh, preventing lost user progress and intermittent UI flickering during app usage. (Issue #440017096)
• A UI layout regression in the Recent Apps screen for users with German-language settings. (Issue #476830557, Issue #486511401)
• Improved video streaming reliability by enabling developers to confirm temporal layering support via getOutputFormat after encoder configuration to address missing frame dependency metadata. (Issue #306222291)
• A bug where the Clock screensaver omitted the leading zero in 24-hour format during low-light mode. (Issue #444255729)
• An issue where closing a folder blocked immediate subsequent interactions like opening another folder or switching screens. (Issue #470541347, Issue #471533397, Issue #477848604)
• A system crash and spontaneous reboot issue that interrupted device usage. (Issue #413562426)
• A critical system instability causing device freezes and reboots during app transitions or service calls. (Issue #419070024, Issue #428572458, Issue #430393241, Issue #424912278, Issue #431440391, Issue #426346396)
• A System UI deadlock that caused lock screen unresponsiveness and display hangs after disconnecting from Android Auto. (Issue #457527675)
• A UI typo in the system location permission disclosure dialog where the Back button was incorrectly displayed as 'Bac'. (Issue #460242870, Issue #477245738)
• An issue where Live Translate and Rules were incorrectly categorized in the System menu. (Issue #476754995)
• A critical System UI crash and subsequent device instability triggered by repeated navigation into Display and Touch settings. (Issue #474486679)
• A persistent crash that prevented users from opening Wallpaper & style settings from the home screen. (Issue #478520173)
• A UI layout issue in the Wireless Debugging QR scanner where the back arrow overlapped the QR icon. (Issue #474769647)
• An issue in the Sound settings where ringtone previews failed to play upon selection. (Issue #355086959, Issue #375840924, Issue #381007949, Issue #381077928, Issue #419301121, Issue #452646483, Issue #468837747)
• A bug that caused redundant notifications to appear following a system update by improving the notification service logic to correctly clear stale alerts during the post-update initialization process. (Issue #454647834)
• A GPU shader compiler optimization bug on Pixel 6 Pro that caused specific GLSL mathematical expressions to evaluate incorrectly as constants, resulting in visual rendering artifacts in apps. (Issue #473226715)

Android 17 Beta 1 (February 2026)

Beta 1 is now available, with the latest features and changes to try with your apps. This release is suitable for development, testing, and general use. However, Android 17 is still in active development, so the Android system and apps running on it might not always work as expected.

As with previous versions, Android 17 includes system changes. In some cases, these changes can affect apps until they are updated to support Android 17, so you might see impacts ranging from minor issues to more significant limitations. In general, most apps will work as expected, as will most APIs and features.

What's new in Beta 1

Android 17 continues our work for more adaptable Android apps, introduces significant enhancements to camera and media capabilities, new tools for optimizing connectivity, and expanded profiles for companion devices. Highlights include:

User Interface & Windowing

Mandatory Large Screen Adaptivity

Apps targeting Android 17 (API level 37) running on large screens (sw ≥ 600dp) can no longer opt-out of resizing or orientation changes.

• Ignored Attributes: screenOrientation, resizeableActivity, minAspectRatio, and maxAspectRatio are ignored on large screens.
• Exemptions: Devices smaller than 600dp and apps categorized as Games (android:appCategory).

Optimized Configuration Changes

To prevent state loss, the system no longer restarts Activities by default for specific configuration changes, including:

• CONFIG_KEYBOARD / CONFIG_KEYBOARD_HIDDEN
• CONFIG_NAVIGATION
• CONFIG_TOUCHSCREEN
• CONFIG_COLOR_MODE
• CONFIG_UI_MODE (only when the UI mode changes to UI_MODE_TYPE_DESK or from UI_MODE_TYPE_DESK to another type)

Action Required: If your app relies on restarts to reload resources for these events, you must explicitly opt-in using the new android:recreateOnConfigChanges manifest attribute.

Performance & Runtime

• Lock-free MessageQueue: A new lock-free implementation of android.os.MessageQueue reduces missed frames.
• Generational Garbage Collection: ART's Concurrent Mark-Compact collector now supports generational GC, prioritizing frequent, low-cost "young generation" collections.
• New Profiling Triggers: ProfilingManager adds triggers for COLD_START, OOM, and KILL_EXCESSIVE_CPU_USAGE.
• Notification Restrictions: Strict size limits enforced on custom notification views to reduce memory usage.

Media & Camera

Camera

• Dynamic Session Updates: Use CameraCaptureSession.updateOutputConfigurations() to switch use cases (e.g., Photo to Video) without closing the session or causing glitches.

Audio & Video

• Constant Quality for Video Recording: setVideoEncodingQuality() in MediaRecorder allows you to configure a constant quality (CQ) mode for video encoders.
• Background Audio Hardening: Audio playback, focus requests, and volume changes initiate silently (fail) if the app is not in a valid lifecycle state.
• VVC Support: Added platform support for Versatile Video Coding (H.266).

Privacy & Security

• Cleartext Deprecation: android:usesCleartextTraffic is deprecated. Apps targeting SDK 37+ relying on this attribute will default to blocking cleartext; migrate to Network Security Configuration.
• HPKE Hybrid Cryptography: Introduced a public Service Provider Interface for an implementation of HPKE hybrid cryptography.

Connectivity & Tools

• Companion Device Manager:
  • New Profiles: Medical Devices and Fitness Trackers.
  • Unified Permission Dialog: setExtraPermissions bundles nearby permissions into the association dialog.