Android 17 starts on Pixel with new multitasking controls

Google released Android 17 on 16 June, beginning with Pixel devices and planning updates for other eligible phones during 2026. The announcement introduced Bubbles, allowing an app to become a floating window above another app.

Large-screen devices receive a bubble bar for switching between those windows. A revised screen-recording workflow also allows people to record the selfie camera and screen together, with annotation tools in the same toolbar.

Android 17 adds temporary precise-location access and the ability to share selected contacts instead of a full address book. Google also describes a Find Hub option to lock a lost phone using biometrics. Advanced Gemini Intelligence features and foldable gaming changes had separate later rollout schedules. The operating-system release therefore should not be read as every advertised feature reaching every phone immediately; device eligibility, manufacturer updates and the particular feature’s timing remain relevant. An eligible Pixel update establishes the first stage of that wider release.