Android 17 has been rolling out since June 16, 2026, first on Pixel phones. The big names get all the attention, but plenty of useful tools are tucked away in menus and long-press shortcuts. Here are 10 worth trying.
Heads-up on availability: many features reach Pixels first, and other brands add them through their own skins. Samsung, for example, released stable One UI 9 (based on Android 17) for the Galaxy S26 series in Korea on September 16. A few features also depend on app support, so what you see can vary by device.
1. App Bubbles: Turn Any App Into a Floating Window
Bubbles are no longer just for chat apps. Users can create an app bubble on a phone, foldable or tablet by long-pressing an app icon on the launcher.
How to use it:
- Open the app drawer.
- Long-press the app you want.
- Tap Bubble.
- Repeat for other apps, and Android groups them into a bubble set.
On large screens, a bubble bar in the taskbar helps you organize and move bubbles around. If you own a Galaxy phone, How-To Geek notes that Samsung’s Pop-Up View is a similar, older feature that’s already on by default.
2. Screen Reactions: Record Yourself Over Your Screen
Make reaction videos without extra apps. Start a screen recording, choose “Entire screen,” then turn on “Show selfie camera.” Your face appears in a floating window, with the background cut out so you don’t need a green screen. You can move or resize it, and change the background color.
3. The Redesigned Screen Recorder
Even without selfie mode, the recorder is better. A toolbar now replaces the old pop-up dialog and takes up less space. After recording, a new post-capture screen lets you play, retake, edit, delete or share. In a later beta, the shortcut defaults to recording the current app instead of the whole screen. Android Authority also notes that the new toolbar includes a screenshot option for the selected window in split-screen mode.
4. Continue On: Move Tasks Between Android Devices
Start something on your phone and pick it up on your tablet. With Continue On, Android can suggest the same app in your tablet’s taskbar, and tapping it takes you back to where you left off. Phone-to-tablet transfers come first. Google showed Docs continuing in the same document and Gmail moving from the phone app to the web version. Apps need to support it, so adoption will vary.
5. Contacts Picker: Share Only the Contacts You Choose
Instead of giving an app full access to your contacts, the Contacts Picker gives temporary, session-based read access to only the data fields requested for the contacts you select. It’s a privacy win because apps no longer need broad contacts permissions for simple tasks.
6. One-Time Precise Location Button and Better Location Transparency
Android 17 improves how apps ask for location:
- A new location button lets apps request precise location for one session, so you aren’t asked repeatedly.
- A persistent indicator appears when a non-system app accesses your location, and tapping it shows recent app use.
- The permission dialog makes the “Precise” and “Approximate” choices more visually distinct.
- Approximate location now adapts to population density instead of using a fixed 2 km grid, which improves privacy in sparse areas.
Pick “Approximate” unless the app genuinely needs your exact position.
7. A Separate Volume Slider for the Assistant
Tired of your assistant shouting in a quiet room? Android 17 adds an independent Assistant volume slider, so changing media volume doesn’t change it, and vice versa.
8. Android Switch: Easier iPhone-to-Android Moves
If you’re switching from iPhone, the process is simpler. The new experience is built into Android and iOS, so you don’t need a standalone app, and it’s wireless-first. It can bring over:
- Passwords, passkeys and Wi-Fi credentials
- Wallpaper, home screen layouts and app placements
- Files, call history and encrypted RCS messages
- Messages with reactions, stickers and threads
Google also says developers can integrate app data migration, and rollout expands over the coming weeks and months. Carrier eSIM support is still growing. For more on the other side of the switch, see our iOS coverage.
9. Native Game Controller Remapping
You can now remap controller buttons at the system level, so you don’t depend on each game. Look under Settings > System > Game Controller for wired gamepads, or in a connected device’s settings for Bluetooth controllers. Gamers should also check our Gaming section for the latest updates.
10. Stronger Theft Protection
Android 17 makes it harder to get into a stolen phone:
- Remote Lock and Theft Detection Lock are on by default on new Android 17 devices, and on freshly reset or upgraded ones.
- On supported devices, Google reduced the number of PIN or password guesses allowed and lengthened wait times between failed attempts.
- Mark as lost in Find Hub can lock your phone with biometrics and apply extra protections.
Bonus Tools Worth a Look
- Exclude apps from expanded dark theme: You can now exclude individual apps if the forced dark look breaks them.
- VPN app exclusion: VPN apps can open a system screen for choosing which apps bypass the VPN.
- Pixel Launcher hidden app labels: Pixels get an option to show or hide app names on the home screen.
- Split-screen arrows: Small arrow keys resize split-screen windows to 70:30 or 90:10.
- Motion Assist: Pixel owners can find a motion sickness feature in Settings, though it may depend on your Pixel model.
- LHDC v5 support: It appears under Developer Options > Bluetooth Audio Codec when you connect supported audio gear.
Announced but Not in the First Release
Google has promised a few features that aren’t in the first stable build:
- Foldable Gaming Mode is “available in the coming months”.
- Android OS verification is coming first to Pixels but isn’t live yet.
- Dynamic signal monitoring is expected in the second half of 2026.
Features like App Lock showed up in code but didn’t make it into the launch, so don’t expect them yet.
A Quick Word About “Hidden Feature” Lists
A lot of “Android 17 hidden features” posts online list tools that don’t match anything in Google’s documentation. Before enabling something you read about, check that it exists in your Settings and comes from a reliable source. Everything above is confirmed in a source that tracks the actual stable build.
Which Phones Get Android 17?
Android Authority lists the Pixel 6 and newer, plus the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold. Other brands roll out Android 17 through their own skins on their own schedule.
