Summary

• Android 17 Beta 1 is available for download now.
• Headline features include improved performance and battery life, Handoff, and a few UI tweaks.
• The stable release of Android 17 is expected in June.

After a slight delay (the original release date was scheduled for the 12th), Android 17 Beta 1 has finally arrived. In keeping with the times, the release is relatively tame — you won’t find any groundbreaking new features here. However, what’s included is surprisingly useful.

Android’s new beta system

No more Developer Previews

The first big change with Android 17 is the way Google is delivering beta software. In the past, Google would release a couple of “Developer Previews” prior to the official public betas. The purpose of these was to get the software in the hands of app developers prior to wider release, although brave users could install them, as well.

This year, Developer Previews are gone, and Google has jumped straight to Beta 1, giving us a more stable release much earlier in the cycle. In fact, users on Reddit are generally reporting that Beta 1 is performing very well.

The best new features in Android 17 Beta 1

Before we dive into the list, let’s get this out of the way — yes, these are small changes. However, the lack of huge UI or feature changes has seemingly freed Google up to focus on behind-the-scenes performance improvements, and it shows.

Pixel Launcher updates

The biggest visual changes are found in the Pixel launcher. The search bar is now customizable — a long press brings up a menu where you can adjust transparency and color scheme, as well as change the AI Mode shortcut for something more useful. There are several options, including Song Search, weather, translate, and sports.

Quick Settings and At-a-Glance also received tweaks. The Extra Dim feature is now integrated directly into the brightness slider, rather than being a separate toggle, and the At-a-Glance widget at the top of the screen can be removed via launcher settings. The latter is sure to be a crowd favorite — although I like At-a-Glance, users have been wanting to get rid of it for years.

Performance improvements

Numerous under-the-hood performance optimizations in Android 17 should add up to a solid improvement in day-to-day performance. One of the biggest changes is the new “Generational” garbage collection system that cleans things up more frequently, rather than waiting to do it all at once. This should lower the CPU workload and help keep devices cooler, as well. For even more performance tweaks, check out Android’s developer settings.

Better battery life

One of the side effects of these performance optimizations is an improvement in battery life. Many users are reporting lower idle battery usage and generally improved battery life compared to Android 16 — something that’s almost unheard of with beta releases.

Time will tell if this trend holds up, but I’m cautiously optimistic. Idle battery drain is one area where Android tends to lag behind Apple, so improvements here would be very welcome. Meanwhile, if you’re not quite ready for the beta, you can also increase battery life by switching launchers or by tweaking some hidden settings.

Handoff

Handoff is a new feature that lets you pass activities between devices. For example, you can start an email on your tablet and pick it up on your phone. If you’ve ever used Apple devices, you’re probably familiar with this feature. While Handoff implementations have existed for a while, this new system is baked into Android at a system level, so it should work across any Android device. Handoff is especially interesting in light of Google’s upcoming Aluminium OS (an Android-based OS for laptops and desktops, replacing ChromeOS).

Smoother camera performance

Another one that seems small but will likely make a big difference in day-to-day usage. With Android 17, that little stutter when switching between your phone’s camera lenses should be a thing of the past. Google is calling this Dynamic Camera Sessions.

Bonus: Big-screen improvements

I’m calling this a “bonus” because you may not notice it yet, but Android 17 introduces a notable change for apps on larger screens. With this release, developers can no longer opt out of having apps resized (or rotated) on larger screens. If you’ve ever run into an app that won’t rotate or looks wonky, you’ve run into this issue.

This change will force developers to consider these larger devices and, again, is very interesting in light of Aluminium OS. However, you don’t need a laptop to feel the effects of this — tablet and foldable users will also benefit.

Android 17 Beta 1 is available now. You can opt in at the Android Beta website. Once enrolled, you’ll receive the beta via OTA update. The stable release is currently expected in June.

Once you’re on the beta, you can’t roll back to Android 16 without wiping your device. The only alternative is to hang tight until the stable release in June. While Android 17 seems fairly stable now, using beta software always comes with the risk that something won’t work.