Google is releasing the latest major update to its mobile operating system, Android 17, which, traditionally for a modern product, will include a number of AI features.
Google is releasing the latest major update to its mobile operating system, Android 17, which, traditionally for a modern product, will include a number of AI features.
According to Bloomberg, the updates will not be available on various devices immediately, and some of the key artificial intelligence features will become available only in a few months.
The first wave of improvements will first roll out to Google Pixel devices, and will later appear on new devices from Samsung.
Android 17 includes a number of updates related to multitasking, social video, and gaming. The updated operating system also lays the groundwork for sophisticated agent-based AI capabilities coming later this year.
Also available on the latest Android will be Gemini Intelligence, an updated emoji system, much smarter voice dictation, and widgets for vibe-coding.
One of the main features of Android available right now is Bubbles, which allows users to collapse any running app into a fixed floating bubble that stays on the screen. This makes it easy and quick to go back, and the «bubbles» can be stacked on top of each other and dragged around the screen to wherever you want.
Meanwhile, a new feature for video creators, Screen Reactions, lets people record a video that overlays on top of whatever’s currently on their phone’s screen. The format has become so popular on social media that Google is now building it directly into Android, reducing the need for third-party apps like CapCut and Instagram Edits.
Android 17 also offers some new security and privacy improvements, including expected updates to location and system recovery in the event of a lost or stolen phone.
Among the interesting features expected is more flexible control for hearing aid users, allowing them to choose which audio streams go to the hearing aid and which come from the phone speaker.
Google is also updating the Wear OS operating system for its smartwatches. Like Android, Wear OS 7 will also be updated later this summer with new Gemini Intelligence features.
As dev.ua previously wrote, Android 17 should include a feature that will stop doomscrolling with a forced ten-second pause.
Meanwhile, in Europe, they want Google to «let» third-party AIs into Android on an equal footing, not just Gemini.
