Android 17 Beta Lands on Pixel, Emphasizing Testing Over Big UX Changes
Google has released Android 17 Beta 1 for Pixel devices, focusing on testing system and API changes with no major user-facing changes yet. Highlights include expanded adaptive-apps support that requires resizing and windowed multitasking, smoother camera sensor switching, and enhanced media encoding with Versatile Video Coding (VVC). Beta 2 is planned for March, with a final update later in 2026; supported devices include Pixel 6–10, Pixel Tablet, and the original Pixel Fold, and OTA enrollment is via Google's beta program.