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13 2月 2026
Posted by Matthew McCullough, VP of Product Management, Android Developer
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Today we're releasing the first beta of Android 17, continuing our work to build a platform that prioritizes privacy, security, and refined performance. This build continues our work for more adaptable Android apps, introduces significant enhancements to camera and media capabilities, new tools for optimizing connectivity, and expanded profiles for companion devices. This release also highlights a fundamental shift in the way we're bringing new releases to the developer community, from the traditional Developer Preview model to the Android Canary program
Android has replaced the traditional "Developer Preview" with a continuous Canary channel. This new "always-on" model offers three main benefits:
The Android 17 schedule
With the release of the Android 17 Beta, we’re moving to the next phase of our adaptive roadmap: Android 17 (API level 37) removes the developer opt-out for orientation and resizability restrictions on large screen devices (sw > 600 dp).
When your app targets SDK 37, it must be ready to adapt. Users expect their apps to work everywhere—whether multitasking on a tablet, unfolding a device, or using a desktop windowing environment—and they expect the UI to fill the space and respect their device posture.
| Manifest attributes/API | Ignored values |
| screenOrientation | portrait, reversePortrait, sensorPortrait, userPortrait, landscape, reverseLandscape, sensorLandscape, userLandscape |
| setRequestedOrientation() | portrait, reversePortrait, sensorPortrait, userPortrait, landscape, reverseLandscape, sensorLandscape, userLandscape |
| resizeableActivity | all |
| minAspectRatio | all |
| maxAspectRatio | all |
These changes are specific to large screens; they do not apply to screens smaller than sw600dp (including traditional slate form factor phones). Additionally, apps categorized as games (based on the android:appCategory flag) are exempt from these restrictions.
It is also important to note that users remain in control. They can explicitly opt-in/out to using an app’s default behavior via the system's aspect ratio settings.
Updates to configuration changesIn Android 17, apps targeting SDK 37 or higher will receive a new implementation of android.os.MessageQueue where the implementation is lock-free. The new implementation improves performance and reduces missed frames, but may break clients that reflect on MessageQueue private fields and methods.
Android 17 introduces generational garbage collection to ART's Concurrent Mark-Compact collector. This optimization introduces more frequent, less resource-intensive young-generation collections alongside full-heap collections. aiming to reduce overall garbage collection CPU cost and time duration. ART improvements are also available to over a billion devices running Android 12 (API level 31) and higher through Google Play System updates.
Starting from Android 17 apps targeting Android 17 or later won’t be able to modify “static final” fields, allowing the runtime to apply performance optimizations more aggressively. An attempt to do so via reflection (and deep reflection) will always lead to IllegalAccessException being thrown. Modifying them via JNI’s SetStatic<Type>Field methods family will immediately crash the application.
To reduce memory usage we are restricting the size of custom notification views. This update closes a loophole that allows apps to bypass existing limits using URIs. This behavior is gated by the target SDK version and takes effect for apps targeting API 37 and higher.
We’ve introduced several new system triggers to ProfilingManager to help you collect in-depth data to debug performance issues. These triggers are TRIGGER_TYPE_COLD_START, TRIGGER_TYPE_OOM, and TRIGGER_TYPE_KILL_EXCESSIVE_CPU_USAGE.
To understand how to set up the new system triggers, check out the trigger-based profiling and retrieve and analyze profiling data documentation.
fun updateCameraSession(session: CameraCaptureSession, newOutputConfigs: List<OutputConfiguration>)) { // Dynamically update the session without closing and reopening try { // Update the output configurations session.updateOutputConfigurations(newOutputConfigs) } catch (e: CameraAccessException) { // Handle error } }
Logical multi-camera device metadata
When working with logical cameras that combine multiple physical camera sensors, you can now request additional metadata from all active physical cameras involved in a capture, not just the primary one. 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). This feature introduces a new key, LOGICAL_MULTI_CAMERA_ADDITIONAL_RESULTS, in CaptureRequest and CaptureResult. By setting this key to ON in your CaptureRequest, the TotalCaptureResult will include metadata from these additional active physical cameras. You can access this comprehensive metadata using TotalCaptureResult.getPhysicalCameraTotalResults() to get more detailed information that may enable you to optimize resource usage in your camera applications.
Android 17 adds support for the Versatile Video Coding (VVC) standard. This includes defining the video/vvc MIME type in MediaFormat, adding new VVC profiles in MediaCodecInfo, and integrating support into MediaExtractor. This feature will be coming to devices with hardware decode support and capable drivers.
We have added setVideoEncodingQuality() to MediaRecorder. This allows you to configure a constant quality (CQ) mode for video encoders, giving you finer control over video quality beyond simple bitrate settings.
Starting in Android 17, the audio framework will enforce restrictions on background audio interactions including audio playback, audio focus requests, and volume change APIs to ensure that these changes are started intentionally by the user.
If the app tries to call audio APIs while the application is not in a valid lifecycle, the audio playback and volume change APIs will fail silently without an exception thrown or failure message provided. The audio focus API will fail with the result code AUDIOFOCUS_REQUEST_FAILED.
The android:usesCleartextTraffic attribute is now deprecated. If your app targets (Android 17) or higher and relies on usesCleartextTraffic="true" without a corresponding Network Security Configuration, it will default to disallowing cleartext traffic. You are encouraged to migrate to Network Security Configuration files for granular control.
We are introducing a public Service Provider Interface (SPI) for an implementation of HPKE hybrid cryptography, enabling secure communication using a combination of public key and symmetric encryption (AEAD).
Connectivity and Telecom
We are introducing user preference management for app VoIP call history integration. This includes support for caller and participant avatar URIs in the system dialer, enabling granular user control over call log privacy and enriching the visual display of integrated VoIP call logs.
Wi-Fi Ranging has been enhanced with new Proximity Detection capabilities, supporting continuous ranging and secure peer-to-peer discovery. Updates to Wi-Fi Aware ranging include new APIs for peer handles and PMKID caching for 11az secure ranging.
We have introduced two new profiles to the CompanionDeviceManager to improve device distinction and permission handling:
Medical Devices: This profile allows medical device mobile applications to request all necessary permissions with a single tap, simplifying the setup process.
Fitness Trackers: The DEVICE_PROFILE_FITNESS_TRACKER profile allows companion apps to explicitly indicate they are managing a fitness tracker. This ensures accurate user experiences with distinct icons while reusing existing watch role permissions.
Also, the CompanionDeviceManager now offers a unified dialog for device association and Nearby permission requests. You can leverage the new setExtraPermissions method in AssociationRequest.Builder to bundle nearby permission prompts within the existing association flow, reducing the number of dialogs presented to the user.
Get started with Android 17You can enroll any supported Pixel device to get this and future Android Beta updates over-the-air. If you don’t have a Pixel device, you can use the 64-bit system images with the Android Emulator in Android Studio.
If you are currently in the Android Beta program, you will be offered an over-the-air update to Beta 1.
If you have Android 26Q1 Beta and would like to take the final stable release of 26Q1 and exit Beta, you need to ignore the over-the-air update to 26Q2 Beta 1 and wait for the release of 26Q1.
We're looking for your feedback so please report issues and submit feature requests on the feedback page. The earlier we get your feedback, the more we can include in our work on the final release.
For the best development experience with Android 17, we recommend that you use the latest preview of Android Studio (Panda). Once you’re set up, here are some of the things you should do:
Compile against the new SDK, test in CI environments, and report any issues in our tracker on the feedback page.
Test your current app for compatibility, learn whether your app is affected by changes in Android 17, and install your app onto a device or emulator running Android 17 and extensively test it.
We’ll update the preview/beta system images and SDK regularly throughout the Android 17 release cycle. Once you’ve installed a beta build, you’ll automatically get future updates over-the-air for all later previews and Betas.
For complete information, visit the Android 17 developer site.
Join the conversation
As we move toward Platform Stability and the final stable release of Android 17 later this year, your feedback remains our most valuable asset. Whether you’re an early adopter on the Canary channel or an app developer testing on Beta 1, consider joining our communities and filing feedback. We’re listening.
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