Android 17 Beta 2 expands multitasking with bubbles, handoff, and privacy tweaks
Android 17 Beta 2 introduces app bubbles to turn any app into a floating window, plus a new taskbar bubble bar on large screens for easier management. It also adds Cross-device app handoff to continue tasks across Android devices, a system-level contact picker with temporary read-only access, an EyeDropper API for color sampling, expanded SMS OTP protection, and privacy safeguards around local network access. The update (build CP21.260206.011, ~510MB) is rolling out to developers via the Android Beta Program, with a mid-2026 stable release expected.