Additionally, the menu acts as a direct gateway to Google Family Link, allowing quick access to broader controls like School Time, purchase approvals, and location alerts. With Android 17 Beta 4, Google added small arrow keys to appear when you tap the handle to resize the two windows. As you can see in the video above, lock screen widgets on phones work differently from those on tablets. Then, tap the “customize” card to open the widget editor, where you can add, remove, or reorder your widgets.
Desktop Mode and related changes
Pichai himself would eventually switch positions, becoming the new CEO of Google in August 2015 following the company’s restructure into the Alphabet conglomerate, making Hiroshi Lockheimer the new head of Android. Since 2008, Android has seen numerous updates which have incrementally improved the operating system, adding new features and fixing bugs in previous releases. Speculation about Google’s intention to enter the mobile communications market continued to build through December 2006. Not much was known about the secretive Android Inc. at the time, with the company having provided few details other than that it was making software for mobile phones.
The video compression standard can deliver video quality similar to or better than the original at lower file sizes, provided the Android device also supports it. Vulkan allows developers to leverage the performance of modern smartphone GPUs to unlock features such as ray tracing in games and multithreading. The app UI should fill the space and respect the device posture on large-screen devices (as this change does not apply to conventional glass-slab smartphones). With Android 17, this change is now mandatory, and developers will no longer be able to opt out.
Developer options are initially hidden since Android 4.2 “Jelly Bean”, but can be enabled by actuating the operating system’s build number in the device information seven times. Since Android devices are usually battery-powered, Android is designed to manage processes to keep power consumption at a minimum. When connecting or disconnecting charging power and when briefly actuating the power button or home button, all while the device is powered off, a visual battery meter whose appearance varies among vendors appears on the screen, allowing the user to quickly assess the charge status of a powered-off device without having to start it. On more recent phones, its place is occupied by a task key used to access the list of recently used apps when actuated. Google recommends mobile application developers to locate menus within the user interface.
Features
- A new toggle in Android 16 QPR2 allows you to disable Failed Authentication Lock.
- On newer Android versions, permissions may need to be granted per app (like Chrome or Files).
- This icon is widely understood to indicate an additional menu, so its presence should help more users realize they can access further actions directly from the recents screen.
- For example, you’ll be alerted when the clock has changed for daylight saving time.
- Ouya, a video game console running Android, became one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns, crowdfunding US$8.5m for its development, and was later followed by other Android-based consoles, such as Nvidia’s Shield Portable – an Android device in a video game controller form factor.
- Live Updates is one of the highlight features of Android 16, but it was absent from the first stable Android 16 release.
- In May 2017, with the announcement of Android 8.0, Google introduced Project Treble, a major re-architect of the Android OS framework designed to make it easier, faster, and less costly for manufacturers to update devices to newer versions of Android.
In December 2011, Greg Kroah-Hartman announced the start of Android Mainlining Project, which aims to put some Android drivers, patches and features back into the Linux kernel, starting in Linux 3.3. Project Treble separates the vendor implementation (device-specific, lower-level software written by silicon manufacturers) from the Android OS framework via a new “vendor interface”. In May 2017, with the announcement of Android 8.0, Google introduced Project Treble, a major re-architect of the Android OS framework designed to make it easier, faster, and less costly for manufacturers to update devices to newer versions of Android. As a result, Android 4.2 and 4.3 “Jelly Bean” contained relatively fewer user-facing changes, focusing more on minor changes and platform improvements. With these changes, Google can add new system functions and update apps without having to distribute an upgrade to the operating system itself.
How do I install the Google Play Store APK on my Android device?
Now, the Android OS will automatically enter your SIM card PIN when you enter your device’s lock code upon rebooting Then users can tap the use carrier default option (see the third screenshot above) to use their network’s default code. Once they’ve activated this toggle, they’ll be prompted to enter their SIM card’s current PIN. This process should work in reverse, provided Google implements a background clipboard listener on Android PCs.
- Android 16 QPR1 allows users to configure what happens when they tap the touchpad with three fingers.
- Back in July 2025, we spotted Google working on a Handoff feature that would allow users to sync notifications, share files, and continue apps across their Android devices.
- Android is developed by Google until the latest changes and updates are ready to be released, at which point the source code is made available to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), an open source initiative led by Google.
- Longtime users aren’t happy with the change, but these tips will help.
- This button is slated to receive “special visual treatment,” possibly indicating a custom animation when it appears or is tapped.
- You can see a gray, circular button located after the divider separating pinned and recent apps.
Versatile Video Coding (VVC) Support
Android 17 QPR1 Beta 1 also brings an option to change the Terminal’s resolution through a new “Display resolution” setting. You can download themes from your phone’s browser, and opening them through any file manager will automatically import the theme into the Terminal app. Updates to the Android Photo picker are handled through Google Play Services, so this change might not be restricted or even tied to Android 17. Code within Android 17 QPR1 Beta 2 suggests that the Photo picker could include a camera option.
Android 17: Confirmed features and changes
Speculatively, the feature could tap into Google’s Gemini model to generate more personalized and powerful actions. In 2018, Android 9 released Smart Reply, which provides suggested replies as tappable chips beneath a notification for quick responses. With Android 17 Beta 3, the Wi-Fi toggle is also back to being a one-click toggle. With Android 17 Beta 3, the change is now live, though it remains to be seen if it will persist till the stable release. Within the Android 16 QPR2 source code release, there are clues suggesting Google may be looking to reverse this decision and split the spinalto casino Internet tile back into Wi-Fi and Mobile data toggles.
With Android 17 Beta 2, Google is expanding its SMS OTP protection by automatically delaying access to SMS messages with OTP for apps that aren’t the intended recipient or the default SMS handler app. 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. Android 16 QPR1 included code for a new system-level feature called “Task Continuity,” and, as you’d expect, it’s designed to let you seamlessly transfer an app’s current state from one Android device to another. Back in July 2025, we spotted Google working on a Handoff feature that would allow users to sync notifications, share files, and continue apps across their Android devices. Once consent is provided, this session-based access eliminates the need for repeated prompts for location-dependent features. With Android 17 Beta 3, Google is introducing a new location button that apps can use to request the user’s precise location for one session (i.e., until you close the app).
Shortly afterwards, Google acquired the company in July of that year for at least $50 million; this was Google’s “best deal ever” according to Google’s then-vice president of corporate development, David Lawee, in 2010. Android is an operating system owned by Google which is based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other free and open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen-based mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.