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The dedicated “Screenshot” and “Select” buttons are now also enclosed in pill-shaped containers, creating a more consistent look in the Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 release. 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. Now, the Recents screen displays the app’s icon and name, along with a downward-pointing arrow, within a small pill-shaped button overlaid on the task. With Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1, Google made some subtle changes to the Recents screen.

Desktop Mode and related changes

For example, as Android was developed initially as a phone OS, hardware such as microphones were required, while over time the phone function became optional. Some other hardware was initially required, but those requirements have been relaxed or eliminated altogether. Some hardware components are not required, but became standard in certain classes spinalto casino of devices, such as smartphones, and additional requirements apply if they are present.

• In fact, we also see the two options in the Aluminium OS build leak, further adding weight to the theory.
• When you’re creating a home screen, your Pixel will offer to automatically populate it with apps and widgets of a certain type — frequently used, games, social media, and more.
• Follow on Google Google rolls out “Search Profiles,” giving users a touch of social media in their Discover feed for videos and more.
• Android 17 beta releases are here, shedding light on confirmed features and Google’s plans.
• Users can also be tricked into granting additional permissions to the malicious apps, which later enable them to perform various nefarious activities, including intercepting texts or calls and stealing banking credentials.
• Hot Summer A big June Android Drop is on the way to phones this week, and Google detailed safety features for kids, call protections for phones, and more.
• The company says it developed this feature in response to bad actors releasing modified versions of Android that appear to be the real thing.

Customizable keyboard shortcuts

• Previously, you had to implement workarounds, sometimes allocating unnecessary physical streams, to obtain metadata from secondary active cameras (e.g., during a lens switch for zoom where a follower camera is active).
• At Google I/O 2026, Google has introduced new “Metric Style” notifications template that expands Live Updates to health and fitness apps, timers, and travel app use cases.
• 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).
• With the Android 17 Beta 2 release, Google officially announced the EyeDropper API, which allows apps to request a color from any pixel on the display without requiring sensitive screen-capture permissions.
• Under such sanctions Huawei has long-term plans to replace Android in 2022 with the new operating system, as Harmony OS was originally designed for internet of things devices, rather than for smartphones and tablets.
• Magic Cue had the name in a prominent-looking chip at the bottom of the screen, which users could tap to send.

With Android 16 Beta 3, Google is giving app developers a chance to test if their apps are affected by this upcoming change. Local Network Protection will eventually require apps to request specific permission to access the local network. Later QPR betas give us even more features that can be chalked up to the next platform release, unless they are completely Pixel-exclusive. This gives us situations where we can try out new features coming to Android 17 (by checking them out in Android 16 QPR1 betas) before the stable Android 16 update is even launched! Android 17 will also crack down on apps that try to start audio in the background automatically when your phone boots up. Going forward, apps will need to either be visible on your screen or run a proper foreground service designed for things like music playback, navigation, or calls.
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.
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).

Storage

While the core Android system remains free, OEMs in Europe would be required to purchase a paid license to the core suite of Google applications, such as Gmail, Google Maps and the Google Play Store. On October 16, 2018, Google announced that it would change its distribution model for Google Mobile Services in the EU, since part of its revenues streams for Android which came through use of Google Search and Chrome were now prohibited by the EU’s ruling. Google responded that the tool, especially its initial release, was intended as a sample framework for developers to modify and build upon depending on their needs, not as a finished piracy solution. This began to change in 2012, with the release of the affordable Nexus 7 and a push by Google for developers to write better tablet applications.

Software similar to Google Play Store 11

With Android 17 Beta 4, Google has introduced Background Audio Hardening, placing stricter limits on apps that try to play audio, request audio focus, or change volume while running in the background. Android OS verification will help you confirm that your device is indeed running an official, widely distributed Android build. The company says it developed this feature in response to bad actors releasing modified versions of Android that appear to be the real thing. On supported devices, Google has significantly reduced the number of attempts required to guess a PIN or password. This mainly refers to Remote Lock and Theft Detection Lock features, which will now be enabled by default on all new Android 17 devices, as well as those that are freshly reset or upgraded to Android 17. This ensures a consistent user experience with distinct icons while reusing existing watch role permissions.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has denounced that the fact that developers will be required to pay a fee and provide government-issued identification will dishearten free and open-source communities, as several of them operate with limited or no funding, and that it further expands Google’s Play Store monopoly over alternative app stores. These changes bring Samsung and potentially some Qualcomm-powered devices closer to competing platforms, such as Apple, whose iPhones have received four to eight years of support. Shortly thereafter, Qualcomm followed suit, offering extending support timelines for OEM building phones with its chipsets, first to seven years in 2024, followed by eight years in 2025.

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.
More importantly, the “Microphone, Camera & Location” dialog now correctly lists the specific apps accessing your location. Unlike the solid green background used for camera and microphone alerts, the location indicator uses a solid blue background (though the system reverts to green if multiple permissions are in use). To try it out, open the Terminal app and tap the Display button in the top-right corner to launch a session that supports graphical output. Android 16 QPR2 introduces a built-in Parental Controls menu that provides a centralized location for managing device-specific restrictions. In Android 16 QPR1, this has changed to display the same UI element that you’d see in the notification shade, where you can hang up, toggle the speaker, and mute your microphone.

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.