Android 16 was released in June 2025, and it brought a ton of functional and design improvements to Android's overall user experience. With Android 16 QPR3 headed to stable, it's time for some Android 17 action. Google has rolled out the first Android 17 Beta for supported Pixel smartphones, and while it's far from game-changing, it establishes the base for what to expect from beta releases.
What is Android 17's dessert name?
Android 17's dessert name is Cinnamon Bun. For those unaware, a cinnamon bun is made by rolling sweet dough with a cinnamon-sugar filling, slicing it into spirals and baking until golden. Google may have stopped publicly branding Android versions with dessert names years ago, but internally, the tradition lives on.
Each version still gets a dessert-themed codename in alphabetical order. With Android 16, Google reset the naming scheme back to “B” and dubbed it Baklava, and now we move on to C, which could be Cinnamon Bun. Why not start with A? Because some of the Android 14 QPR builds started with "A". So, to avoid branch conflict, Google went with "B".
Android 17's easter egg is also here, and it looks like a sunflower with a small green planet inside, and the text Android 17, following a similar green colour scheme as Android 16's easter egg.
Android 17 potential release timeline: When will it be out?
For the first time in years, Google is doing away with Developer Preview releases. With Android 17 Beta 1 already out, the brand has skipped Developer Previews and has fast-tracked the process, diving straight into Beta. This shift is driven by the new Canary channel where Google has been testing new APIs and features, eliminating the need for standalone preview builds.
Android 17's stable release is right on track with Google expected to push around four Betas over the next four months. The final stable release is expected in June or July 2026, and as always, Pixel smartphones will be the first in line to receive it. Other manufacturers are expected to follow suit, gradually updating their supported portfolios by October 2026.
Android 17 Supported Devices
All the Pixel phones from Pixel 6 to the latest Pixel 10 series will get Android 17. Here's a list of Android 17-supported devices.
- Pixel 10a
- Pixel 10
- Pixel 10 Pro
- Pixel 10 Pro XL
- Pixel 10 Pro Fold
- Pixel 9
- Pixel 9 Pro
- Pixel 9 Pro XL
- Pixel 9 Pro Fold
- Pixel 9a
- Pixel 8
- Pixel 8 Pro
- Pixel 8a
- Pixel 7
- Pixel 7 Pro
- Pixel Fold
- Pixel 7a
- Pixel 6
- Pixel 6 Pro
- Pixel 6a
Google extended software support for Pixel 6, Pixel 7 and Pixel Fold by two years each. Android 15 was supposed to be the last update for the Pixel 6 series, but it should now get Android 16 and 17 with the extended support. The same goes for the Pixel 7 series and Pixel 6a, which will be supported till Android 18.
Android 17 Upcoming Features
It's still too soon to talk about the potential features Android 17 could bring to the table. Google recently rolled out Android 16 QPR2 Beta 1 with a handful of new features, and since QPR Betas host features that usually arrive in the next major stable update, the new features could potentially arrive in Android 17.
1. Lock screen widgets
Google rolled out Lock screen widgets in Android 16 QPR2 Beta 1, and they're one of the most requested features on Android. For starters, they reside inside a new Hub mode, a page that can be accessed by swiping left on the lock screen. Hub mode is similar to Today View on iOS and can accommodate both third-party and system widgets.
As of writing this, users can add three widgets per page, and there's no limit on the number of pages. However, the widgets cannot be resized width-wise, and the UI elements in the edit menu overlap in some cases. We expect Google to fix all the annoyances and roll out Lock Screen Widgets to Pixels starting from Android 17.
2. Forced themed icons
Themed icons were introduced in Android 13 with Material You and but with developers not adapting to them, the overall experience is still very inconsistent. OEMs like Nothing force icons to adapt their own iconography, and Pixels could also start doing that with Android 17.
Pixel phones could finally have force-themed icons on Android 17, which, when enabled, adds a tint over the app icons to look slightly more consistent with the rest of the icons. Right now, there's still work to be done in this regard, as the forced-theme icons are still pretty distinguishable from the ones that do support Material You iconography.
3. Improved Blur Effects
Android 17 will bring improved blur effects. Early Android 16 QPR3 betas suggested a heavier, more frosted glass aesthetic in the notification shade, volume panel and power menu. This will help separate the foreground and the background content effectively, making the UI feel a bit more immersive.
4. Screen Recording Upgrades
Android 17 will boast a pill overlay with different options when recording the screen. These options include annotation tools, a settings cog to change the recording settings, and a stop option to instantly stop the recording. Previously, users had to tap on the pill in the top bar, which also captured the process of stopping the recording, but that won't be the case when the new screen recording bar finally rolls out.
5. Ability to Remove At a Glance
The placement of At a Glance and the inability to remove the feature have always been a controversial thing on Pixels, but Google might finally address that. Already live on Android 17 Beta 1, users can now remove the persistent widget, freeing up space to add more widgets on the home screen. This can be done by long-tapping At a Glance > Settings and disabling the Show on home screen option.
6. Better Factory Reset and Theft Protection
Android 17 will boast an upgraded Factory Reset Protection protocol, making it significantly harder for thieves to wipe and resell stolen smartphones. If a smartphone is reset forcibly, the setup process will be far more aggressive in verifying the original owner's identity, potentially rendering stolen smartphones useless for resale.
7. Expanded Dark Mode and Enhanced HDR Brightness
Android 17 brings a user-facing Force Dark Mode option that applies dark mode to all apps, even those without native dark mode support. This eliminates the jarring flash of white screens in older applications.
Besides, the update also brings Enhanced HDR brightness, giving users a better mix of SDR and HDR content on social media. Users can also control the brightness intensity to set how the content appears on their screens. This could be great for those who don't like being flash-banged by HDR content on social media, as all they need to do is turn the option off or set it to the minimum setting.
8. Desktop mode
Android's Desktop Mode is still under development. It's been a while since we heard any developments about the feature, but considering it was already functional in Android 16 QPR betas, Desktop mode could very well arrive with Android 17.
Some of the recent developments in Desktop Mode include the addition of the taskbar, window snapping, pinning and unpinning apps and launching multiple windows in floating windows. Besides, Google is also working on improving support for external monitors, which could arrive much later.
9. Splitting Notifications and Quick Settings into two pages
Android 16's initial developer previews had a hidden Quick Settings change where users could have separate notifications and Quick Settings pages. OEMs like OnePlus have already added this feature, and Google could follow this route in Android 17.
Android's customisable Quick settings panel revamp is one of the best Material 3 Expressive features. However, Google could further improve it with split notifications and Quick settings. The perks of having them separated are that users can swipe down from the left to see more notifications, or swipe from the right for an extended Quick Settings panel with more options.
10. Double-tap to turn off screen
Lastly, Google appears to be working on a double-tap gesture to turn off the screen. It was first spotted in one of the Android 16 QPR builds, but it still hasn't made it to the latest Android 17 Beta builds. The feature could arrive in later Android 17 Beta builds, followed by stable.
As the name suggests, it will let you double-tap on the home screen to turn off your Pixel phone. Many manufacturers already bundle their launchers with the double-tap to turn off gesture.
And that's everything you need to know about Android 17. Android 16 was a feature-rich update, and Android 17 is turning out to be a fairly feature-packed update too. There are plenty of other rumoured features such as a built-in App lock, independent Wi-Fi and Mobile data toggles and more. However, there's currently no information on whether these will make it to the stable Android 17 update.
Google has skipped Android 17 Developer Previews and is headed straight to Betas thanks to the addition of the Canary channel. Google I/O 2026 is scheduled for May 19, 2026, and Google should give us a sneak peek of what to expect from the next Android version, and the Android Show that will follow a few days later. Until then, stay tuned.
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