There’s a new update on the way for owners of recent Android phones, as Google’s latest and greatest goes live, but possibly without the fanfare of an upcoming iOS update.
Officially, Android 17 has launched, and while it doesn’t come with its own big show, it does come with some interesting features sure to draw some attention.
For instance, there are improvements to security with support for the Find Hub being able to lock a device (like a phone) remotely when marked as lost, and being stuck in locked mode until a fingerprint or face security unlocks it, all the while removing Google Wallet. The idea is that for Android 17 owners, if you accidentally misplace or lose your phone, locking it down until you find it will do exactly that.
Security also improves with protections on banking scam calls, checking with an app you might have installed to find out whether the call is from the real place, while a system will scan your apps to make sure they’re not going to put your phone and data at risk.
Security features like these seem small, but it’s actually a big deal, as is the ability to multitask more clearly with “bubbles”. This concept feels like a page from Facebook Messenger’s app design, whereby little apps can become bubbles in their own bar. Similar to on-screen widgets, you’ll be able to turn messages, Gemini, and other apps into apps that sit above other apps, essentially giving you a window on top of another screen.
On a large phone, this should give you a little extra screen real estate to play with, but on a foldable like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the amount will be more useful, and could be like having more screen to work than even before.
While you’re doing that, you may want to record a reaction to it all, like the sort of reaction videos found all over TikTok. Android now has you cover, with reaction videos built into the screen recording feature of Android 17.
@pickrau Android 17 is out today, and now you can make Reaction Videos directly in the operating system. If that's a thing you want. #android17 #android #pixel ♬ original sound – pickrau
It’s a little bit of a surprise this one, as is the improvement Google has made for games, with an enhancement to the controllers by mapping game controls both to on-screen software controls and physical game controllers like the Backbone One and GameSir’s G8+ Galileo.
These are just some of the features on the way, and it seems like Android owners with a Pixel will get them first. As for everyone else, that will depend on who makes your phone, and how far behind they are. Here’s hoping it isn’t that far, and your OS is upgraded soon enough.
