[Google Pixel Update📱] Android 17 Beta 2 now available!

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TL;DR

• The Android Canary program officially replaces the long-standing Android Developer Preview program.
• Unlike Developer Previews, which were limited to early release cycles, the Canary channel offers a rolling, year-round stream of updates.
• Enthusiasts looking for the latest features should flash the Canary builds or wait for the Android 17 Beta launching in the coming months.

Google launched the Android Canary program for Pixel enthusiasts last year, giving them a chance to try bleeding-edge Android releases before they reach the Beta program. The news was well received by users who don’t mind trading stability for flashy new software features, but some users preferred waiting for Android 17 Developer Previews to roll out. It seems many people missed the memo: there will be no more Android Developer Previews.

As part of its Android Canary program announcement last year, Google said the Canary release channel would replace the Developer Preview program.

Moving forward, the Android platform will have a Canary release channel, which will replace the previous developer preview program. This Canary release channel will function alongside the existing beta program.

Google had mentioned that while the Developer Preview program was a critical part of its release cycle, its structure had limitations. Developer Previews were only available during the earliest part of the Android release cycle (since they were tied to the next designated Android release). Once the platform reached the Beta stage, Developer Previews would end, leaving a gap for features that were promising but not yet beta-ready to have no channel for wider testing and feedback.

The Canary release channel addresses this limitation, providing a continuous, rolling stream of the latest platform builds.

Had Google followed its previous timelines, the first Android 17 Developer Preview builds would have been released in November 2025. Google’s announcement makes it clear that there will be no further Developer Preview builds, so don’t hold your breath for one.

Enthusiasts can flash the latest Android Canary release to get on the bleeding edge of the Android platform. Alternatively, users can wait for the Android 17 Beta program to launch, which should happen in the coming months. You can check out Android’s expected 2026 update and release cycle for the complete timeline.

 

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Following the release of Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2.1 earlier today, Google has revealed that the Android 17 Beta is starting soon.

Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2.1 is the final release in that cycle, and Google is turning its attention to the “next Beta program cycle that covers our Android 17 Platform Release (26Q2).”

Officially, “Android 17 Beta 1 will kick [off] soon.”

Those on 16 QPR3 Beta 2.1 who remain in the Android Beta Program will “automatically receive Android 17 Beta 1.” You will not be able to opt-out without a data wipe until the “end of the Android 17 Beta cycle in June 2026.”

A June release for Android 17 is not surprising.

If you don’t want to test Android 17 Beta 1, you need to opt out of the Android Beta Program and “ignore/don’t apply the downgrade OTA update.” You have to “wait for the final public stable release of Android 16 QPR3(CP1A) coming soon,” which translates to March.

The OTA message will have ‘Downgrade’ in the description. Opting out will not cause a data wipe as long as you don’t apply the downgrade OTA update.

 

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UPDATE February 14 – Google tried to ship out the first Android 17 Beta 1 update a couple of days ago, but something forced them to delay it slightly. They told us it was coming soon, yet didn’t provide a new date. Well, the update is now live. The first builds are CP21.260116.011.A1 for the Pixel 6/6 Pro/6a/7/7 Pro and CP21.260116.011.B1 for everything else.

After a brief tease yesterday afternoon, Google has gone and done it – Android 17 is already here for Pixel phones. Google announced this morning that Android 17 Beta 1 will arrive as an over-the-air update in the Android Beta Program and as images in Android Studio for developers who don’t own a Pixel.

You may be thinking that this seems super early or that it’s odd that we aren’t getting a Developer Preview build first. Well, it is different in that we are no longer getting developer preview builds. Google launched the Android Canary track last year and is using that as a developer preview going forward, allowing you to get these new beta builds earlier than ever.

As for timing, Google announced at the end of 2024 that Android releases would change. For 2025, Google switched to a 2-release Android track, with the first and biggest Android 16 release going stable by mid-year, followed by a secondary Android 16 release before the end of the year. The same schedule will apply for Android 17. The first release has kicked off now and will go stable pretty quickly, with a planned Platform Stability release at some point in March. There will then be a minor SDK release in Q4 of this year, just like they did with Android 16 last year.

OK, with that out of the way, today does mark the release of the first Android 17 Beta!

As for what’s new in Android 17, we’ll have a separate post shortly that will dive into all of the fun new stuff you might find with Android 17 on your own device. At this point, though, Google has only shared the developer-facing changes that developers need to be aware of. Things like screen resizability restrictions are here for apps to work on all devices, there are several performance improvements (like a new garbage collection and notification restrictions), more professional-grade camera tools and media experiences, and a new print dialog for better usability.

To get started, you can enroll in the Android Beta Program (here) now to get Android 17 on your Pixel device right away. Developers will find system images (here) too.

• UPDATE 11:08AM: Google just reached out to say that there is a change and they will not be releasing this today. They have switched to a “coming soon” release time frame. We’ll let you know once it arrives.

// Android Developers

 

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[joesph]

Read HWZ Forum Rules!

 

[Dirkenberg]

Just installed Android 17 beta 1 for my Pixel 10 Pro. DBS and GXS app crashed. Back to Android 16 for the time being.

 

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[joesph]

no problem for my use. 6a

 

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Android 17 Beta 2 has been released for Pixel devices. You’ll find support for the build all the way back to the Pixel 6 lineup. Inside Beta 2, there are plenty of noteworthy things.

There’s a section in the changelog dedicated to User Experience and System UI. Google highlights Bubbles, which provide the ability to bubble “any app” by long-pressing launcher icons. The new EyeDropper API allows apps to capture pixel colors from anywhere on the display without the new for screen capture permissions, plus there is an absolute ton of bug fixes included in Beta 2.

• Release date: February 26, 2026
• Builds:
  • CP21.260206.011
  • CP21.260206.011.A1 (Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7)
• Emulator support: x86 (64-bit), ARM (v8-A)
• Security patch level: 2026-02-05
• Google Play services: 25.49.33

Below you can view the entire changelog. Warning, it’s long. To get Android 17 Beta 2 up and running on your supported Pixel device, you’ll want to be enrolled in the Android Beta Program. You can find OTA files here and factory images here.

What’s New in Android 17 Beta 2​

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User Experience & System UI

• Bubbles: Users can now bubble any app by long-pressing launcher icons. On large screens, a new bubble bar in the taskbar manages organized and anchored bubbles. Apps should follow multi-window guidelines.
• EyeDropper API: A new system API allows apps to capture pixel colors from anywhere on the display without requiring screen capture permissions.
• Contacts Picker: The ACTION_PICK_CONTACTS intent provides a system-level picker. It grants temporary, session-based access to specific fields, reducing the need for full READ_CONTACTS permissions.
• Touchpad Pointer Capture: By default, captured touchpads now behave like mice, reporting relative movement and gestures instead of raw finger coordinates. Legacy absolute mode remains available via POINTER_CAPTURE_MODE_ABSOLUTE.
• Interactive Chooser: Apps can use getInitialRestingBounds on a ChooserSession to identify the final UI position of the Chooser for better layout adjustments.

Connectivity & Cross-Device

• Cross-device Handoff: The new Handoff API enables state resumption across devices (e.g., phone to tablet) via CompanionDeviceManager.
• Advanced Ranging
  • UWB DL-TDOA: Supports FiRA 4.0 for privacy-preserving indoor navigation.
  • Proximity Detection: Implements WiFi Alliance specs for improved WiFi-based ranging.
• Data Plan Enhancements: Apps can query carrier-allocated downlink/uplink max rates for streaming using getStreamingAppMaxDownlinkKbps and getStreamingAppMaxUplinkKbps.

Core Functionality, Privacy & Performance

• Local Network Access: Android 17 introduces the ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK permission (part of the NEARBY_DEVICES group) to protect LAN communication.
• Time Zone Broadcast: A new intent, ACTION_TIMEZONE_OFFSET_CHANGED, triggers specifically on offset changes like DST transitions.
• NPU Management: Apps targeting Android 17 must declare the FEATURE_NEURAL_PROCESSING_UNIT hardware feature to directly access the NPU.
• ICU 78: Updated internationalization libraries support Unicode 17.
• SMS OTP Protection: To prevent hijacking, Android 17 delays programmatic access to OTP messages by three hours for most apps. Developers should transition to SMS Retriever or SMS User Consent APIs.

Issues Fixed in Beta 2

• A platform stability regression in Android 16 that caused active apps to unexpectedly restart or refresh, preventing lost user progress and intermittent UI flickering during app usage. (Issue #440017096)
• A UI layout regression in the Recent Apps screen for users with German-language settings. (Issue #476830557, Issue #486511401)
• Improved video streaming reliability by enabling developers to confirm temporal layering support via getOutputFormat after encoder configuration to address missing frame dependency metadata. (Issue #306222291)
• A bug where the Clock screensaver omitted the leading zero in 24-hour format during low-light mode. (Issue #444255729)
• An issue where closing a folder blocked immediate subsequent interactions like opening another folder or switching screens. (Issue #470541347, Issue #471533397, Issue #477848604)
• A system crash and spontaneous reboot issue that interrupted device usage. (Issue #413562426)
• A critical system instability causing device freezes and reboots during app transitions or service calls. (Issue #419070024, Issue #428572458, Issue #430393241, Issue #424912278, Issue #431440391, Issue #426346396)
• A System UI deadlock that caused lock screen unresponsiveness and display hangs after disconnecting from Android Auto. (Issue #457527675)
• A UI typo in the system location permission disclosure dialog where the Back button was incorrectly displayed as ‘Bac’. (Issue #460242870, Issue #477245738)
• An issue where Live Translate and Rules were incorrectly categorized in the System menu. (Issue #476754995)
• A critical System UI crash and subsequent device instability triggered by repeated navigation into Display and Touch settings. (Issue #474486679)
• A persistent crash that prevented users from opening Wallpaper & style settings from the home screen. (Issue #478520173)
• A UI layout issue in the Wireless Debugging QR scanner where the back arrow overlapped the QR icon. (Issue #474769647)
• An issue in the Sound settings where ringtone previews failed to play upon selection. (Issue #355086959, Issue #375840924, Issue #381007949, Issue #381077928, Issue #419301121, Issue #452646483, Issue #468837747)
• A bug that caused redundant notifications to appear following a system update by improving the notification service logic to correctly clear stale alerts during the post-update initialization process. (Issue #454647834)
• A GPU shader compiler optimization bug on Pixel 6 Pro that caused specific GLSL mathematical expressions to evaluate incorrectly as constants, resulting in visual rendering artifacts in apps. (Issue #473226715)
  

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// Android Developers

 

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