Android 17's New Beta Brings Major UI Changes, Split-Screen Controls And More

Android 17 has reached the Platform Stability and third beta phase. Per Google, Platform Stability means that since "the API surface is locked; you can perform final compatibility testing and push your Android 17-targeted apps to the Play Store."

This is an especially pivotal time for app developers, and certain Android 17 features like window resizability on large screens will be enforced universally. For those unaware, Android 17 is getting an App Bubbles feature that allows for full, desktop-like multitasking, complete with resizable windows from within Android. Another feature, called Desktop Interactive Picture-in-Picture, will also allowed pinned windows to remain interactive while staying atop other apps in desktop mode.


Besides App Bubbles, other enhancements to Android 17 build upon existing functionality or iron out bugs to improve the experience. These include the ability to hide app labels (names) on the home screen, a redesigned screen recording toolbar, better support for widgets on external displays, and improved handling for Bluetooth LE hearing aids. There's als a "system-provided location button", which Android 17 app developers can integrate into their apps to allow for one-time precise location access.

Besides the user-facing stuff, Android 17 Beta 3 also addresses some underlying security issues. This includes the ability to change password visibility settings depending on whether touch or physical keyboard is being used, with physical keyboard passwords being hidden by default. Android 17 also enforces read-only dynamic code loading to improve security against code injection attacks, and adds support for Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), in-line in with Google's Q-Day guidance.