The race to see who rolls out the next generation of Android release has finally begun. Catching up with its Chinese rivals Oppo, OnePlus and Realme, Vivo has officially opened up the doors to its Android 17 Beta Program for the Vivo X300 Pro and iQOO 15 in China. It gives users an early glimpse of the upcoming OriginOS 7 release.
Vivo and iQOO Start Testing Android 17
Vivo has announced via its official website that Android 17 Beta is now officially available for the iQOO 15 and Vivo X300 Pro smartphones. The release is currently limited to China, but could expand to global variants very soon. The Android 17 page highlights the known issues, installation steps and warns users about its potential disadvantages.
As with any early beta update, Vivo says this software is intended for developers and advanced users. The build appears to be extremely unstable and is not meant to be daily-driven. According to Vivo's official bug list, core hardware features are completely broken on this build, including the fingerprint scanner and the ability to take screenshots.
Vivo also highlights a device-specific issue on the iQOO 15 where facial recognition doesn't work alongside a malfunctioning Home button. Besides, the Vivo X300 Pro suffers from frequent crashes when opening both third-party and core system apps and settings.
Subsequently, Vivo urges developers to test their apps comprehensively and report any major bugs directly. The page also links to the official Android 17 app migration guide to make it easier for developers to ensure compatibility with the new platform.
Installing and Downgrading Android 17 Beta Will Result in a Factory Reset
Lastly, the guide highlights steps to download and install the firmware on the iQOO 15 and Vivo X300 Pro. This involves downloading the package for the respective phone and using the Local Upgrade option in Settings to manually flash the build.
Users who want to revert to Android 16 will have to manually downgrade to the latest OriginOS 6 stable build using Vivo's PC utility. It's worth noting that this will result in a factory reset, just like installing the Beta also results in a data wipe.
With the testing officially underway, Vivo should release more Android 17 Betas before an official stable launch expected sometime by the end of 2026. More information about the same should surface as we inch closer to OriginOS 7's launch, so stay tuned.
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