Android 17 Beta Launch Imminent For Google Pixel Phones

Google Pixel users who enjoy being on the bleeding edge and participating in Google’s Android Beta program will be happy to hear that an Android 17 beta will be rolling out sooner than they anticipated. It’s only a few weeks since the release of the latest Android 16 beta, which included a new feature intended to help get more battery life out of Pixel devices, among numerous other updates.

Google took to the android_beta subreddit to inform users that the “Android 17 Beta 1 will kick soon.” Thankfully, Google is making it easy for those currently enrolled in the beta program to access the upcoming beta release; users will automatically receive the update that will deliver Android 17 Beta 1.

This move surprised many users, with one posting that they thought the company “would keep the first A17 release strictly to the Canary build,” which is the version those who opt to take the earliest builds of the OS receive. One user noted that this seems like a better way forward for most users, “who should not be flashing developer/Canary builds” that can lead to a poor experience.


If you’re currently participating in the beta program and would rather go back to running the stable public releases without having to wipe out your data, now is the time to make the change. Google is allowing users to opt out of the program before making the jump to the Android 17 beta and says that users should ignore the downgrade OTA update. Instead, “wait for the final public stable release of Android 16 QPR3(CP1A) coming soon. The OTA message will have ‘Downgrade’ in the description. Opting out will not cause a data wipe as long as you don’t apply the downgrade OTA update.”

Google hasn’t provided an official date for when the upcoming beta release will roll out, but has announced the current cycle will run through June of this year.