Google Ships Android 17 Beta 2

Tied no doubt to today’s AppFunctions announcement, Google has also delivered Android 17 Beta 2 to developers.

“Today we’re releasing the second beta of Android 17, continuing our work to build a platform that prioritizes privacy, security, and refined performance,” Google vice president Matthew McCullough writes. This update delivers a range of new capabilities, including the EyeDropper API and a privacy-preserving Contacts Picker. We’re also adding advanced ranging, cross-device handoff APIs, and more.”

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s new.

Bubbles. This is a new windowing mode feature that provides a floating UI experience that Google says is separate from the existing messaging bubbles feature. “Users can create an app bubble on their phone, foldable, or tablet by long-pressing an app icon on the launcher,” McCullough explains. “On large screens, there is a bubble bar as part of the taskbar where users can organize, move between, and move bubbles to and from anchored points on the screen.”

EyeDropper API. This new system-level API lets an app request the color of any pixel onscreen without requiring screen capture permissions.

Contacts Picker. This new system-level contacts picker grants temporary, session-based read access to only the specific data fields requested by the user, reducing the need for broader contacts permissions.

Improved pointer compatibility for touchpads. Now, touchpad events like pointer movement and scrolling gestures are reported exactly like mouse events, which is more consistent and should work more quickly. Developers can still use the old system, which reports the locations of fingers on the pad rather than the relative movements that would be reported by a mouse.

Handoff API. This new API lets an app specify the state to be resumed on another device, such as an Android tablet. “This feature is designed to offer seamless task continuity, enabling users to pick up exactly where they left off in their workflow across their Android ecosystem,” McCullough writes. “Critically, Handoff supports both native app-to-app transitions and app-to-web fallback, providing maximum flexibility and ensuring a complete experience even if the native app is not installed on the receiving device.”

As it did with Beta 1, Google notes that it will move quickly from this Beta to the Platform Stability milestone in March. At that time, It will deliver final SDK/NDK APIs so that apps can target SDK 37 and publish to the Google Play Store ahead of the general availability of Android 17. And then Android 17 will be serviced via quarterly releases that will include a minor SDK update in Q4 2026.

Android 17 Beta 2 is available on any supported Pixel device. If you previously installed Beta 1, you will receive the Beta 2 update OTA (over the air). You can learn more on the Android 17 developer website.