Android 17 Will Introduce a Handoff-Like ‘Continue On’ Feature

Google is planning to introduce a new ‘Continue On’ feature on Android 17 that will let users start an activity on their Android device and pick up where they left off on another device. The feature is designed to work bidirectionally, but it will only support mobile-to-tablet device transitions at launch.

As you may know, Apple implemented a similar ‘Handoff’ feature that works across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS±. Windows 11 is also getting the ability to resume activity from Android apps like OneDrive and Spotify, so it was time for Android to catch up, too.

On Android 17, Continue On will first allow tablet users to see handoff suggestions from an Android phone in the taskbar. Developers will be able to provide different handoff options:

• The app-to-app handoff flow will open the same app (if installed) on the receiving device and resume the ongoing activity.
• The app-to-web handoff option will resume an app activity in a web browser tab. Android apps can specify a fallback URL that will be opened on the receiving device if the same app isn’t already installed on it.
• The direct-to-web handoff flow will open the same web app on the receiving device.
• A web-to-app handoff is also possible if a native Android app installed on the receiving device can handle the URL intent.

Google released the fourth beta of Android 17 a month ago, and a public release should follow in the coming weeks. Unlike major iOS releases, however, the rollout of major Android updates is gradual, and not all devices will get it at the same time.

One of the main new Android 17 features that isn’t available for testing yet is Gemini Intelligence, which will bring new agentic features to the platform,  but it will launch first on Pixel 10 and Galaxy S26 phones. Last week, Google also detailed new features for video creators, including AI-powered editing tools in social media apps and support for the storage-efficient APV (Advanced Professional Video) format.