After months of beta testing its latest version, Google has officially released Android 17 as a stable build on Pixel phones. The company pushed out four betas of Android 17, and the final version is now available to all eligible Pixel phones.
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 is 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 Release Timeline: When Will It Be Out?
Google released the official stable build of Android 17 to Pixel phones on June 16, 2026. The stable release comes after four beta rollouts. Here's a timeline of the release for easier understanding:
- Android 17 Beta 1 rolled out on February 14, 2026
- Android 17 Beta 2 rolled out on February 26, 2026
- Android 17 Beta 3 rolled out on March 26, 2026
- Android 17 Beta 4 rolled out on April 16, 2026
- Android 17 stable rolled out on June 16, 2026
For the first time in years, Google did away with Developer Preview releases. The brand skipped Developer Previews and fast-tracked the process, diving straight into Beta. This shift was driven by the new Canary channel, where Google tested new APIs and features, which eliminated the need for standalone preview builds.
Android 17 Eligible Devices
As always, Pixel smartphones will be the first to receive Android 17. Other manufacturers are expected to follow suit, gradually updating their supported portfolios by October 2026. All the Pixel phones from Pixel 6 to the latest Pixel 10 series will get Android 17. Here's a list of Android 17-eligible 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 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: List of Upcoming Features
With Android 17, Google has made some noticeable changes to Android. So, here's a glimpse of every new feature that Android 17 has in store for us.
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.
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.
Multitasking Bubbles
Android 17 introduces new multitasking Bubbles that allow users to open apps in a floating window. This feature has been available on the likes of Samsung phones and other third-party skins for some time now, but now Google is bringing this feature natively to Android.
It supports all apps and will be available for all Android 17-supported devices, not just tablets and foldables. The best part is that users can stack multiple apps at a time and minimise them all at once.
Forced-Themed Icons
Themed icons were introduced in Android 13 with Material You, 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 also follow that with Android 17.
Pixel phones finally offer 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. There's still work to be done in this regard, as the forced-theme icons are pretty distinguishable from the ones that support Material You iconography.
Improved Blur Effects
Android 17 brings improved blur effects with a heavier, more frosted glass aesthetic in the notification shade, volume panel and power menu. This helps separate the foreground and the background content effectively, making the UI feel a bit more immersive.
Separate Wi-Fi and Mobile Data Toggles
In Android 17, Wi-Fi and Mobile Data are two separate toggles in the Quick settings panel. Previously, both were tucked away under the single "Internet" toggle, which made it a hassle to turn on/off Wi-Fi or data. This has been a widely requested feature by Google phone users ever since Android 12 was released back in 2021.
Screen Recording Upgrades
Android 17 boasts a pill overlay with different options when recording the screen. These options include annotation tools, a settings cogwheel 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 as the new screen recording bar is finally out.
Hide App Names
To bring more customisation options to the Pixel launcher, Android 17 adds an option to hide app names. This allows for a minimal and clean home screen setup. This option is available underWallpapers & Style > Icons > Show app names. Users can turn off the toggle for this option to remove app names from their Pixel home screen.
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 finally addresses that. 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.
Better Factory Reset and Theft Protection
Android 17 boasts 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 is far more aggressive in verifying the original owner's identity, potentially rendering stolen smartphones useless for resale.
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. It will also allow users to manually disable dark mode on a per-app basis for better visibility.
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.
Assistant Volume Slider
Given the recent push for Gemini AI on Android, Google has added a separate Assistant Volume slider in the Sound and vibration settings. This offers manual control over the voice loudness of Gemini or any other assistant.
And that's everything you need to know about Android 17. Android 17 is a fairly feature-packed update too with a bunch of additions and improvements over Android 16.
