Google releases the first beta of Android 17, adopts a continuous developer release plan

Google on Wednesday released the first beta of Android 17, which brings performance improvements and a way to add new features to media and camera apps. Most importantly, it’s changing how developers get access to new APIs and features of the latest version. With this release, the company is ditching developer betas and adopting a continuous Canary channel to push updates for developers. This is similar to how Google approaches web browser development, as Google has a Canary channel for the Chrome browser, too. The company said that because of this approach, features and API become available to developers as soon as they are approved in internal testing. Plus, the Canary channel allows for over the air update, benefiting developers with more integrated workflows and better ways to test their apps. Image Credits:Google Google said it’s targeting March for platform stability with the planned release of Android 17 in Q2 2026. With Android 16’s release last year, Google adopted a two-release structure in a calendar year with a major SDK release in the first half and a minor SDK release in the second half of the year. The company made this move to give time to device makers to roll out the latest version more quickly to devices and reduce fragmentation in the Android ecosystem. Android 17 will restrict developers from opting out of resizing restrictions. This means developers can’t force and orietnation or resizing on large-screen devices. This is Google’s way of making more apps work better on tablets and foldables in different orientations and window sizes. Image Credits:Google Google is also adding more camera capabilities to Android 17. It’s adding APIs to let developers handle camera transitions more smoothly, support for VVC (H.266) video codec, better handling of loudness across apps to maintain consistent volume, and stricter controls for background audio. Android 17 also brings performance improvements, decreased missed frames, and a better garbage collection mechanism for memory clean-up. The company is improving Wi-Fi connectivity with better proximity detection and secure peer discovery, as well. Topics Android, Apps, Google, Software updates Ivan Mehta Ivan covers global consumer tech developments at TechCrunch. He is based out of India and has previously worked at publications including Huffington Post and The Next Web. You can contact or verify outreach from Ivan by emailing im@ivanmehta.com or via encrypted message at ivan.42 on Signal.

View Bio October 13-15 San Francisco, CA Tickets are live at the lowest rates of the year. Save up to $680 on your pass now.Meet investors. Discover your next portfolio company. Hear from 250+ tech leaders, dive into 200+ sessions, and explore 300+ startups building what’s next. Don’t miss these one-time savings. REGISTER NOW Most Popular The first signs of burnout are coming from the people who embrace AI the most Connie Loizos MrBeast’s company buys Gen Z-focused fintech app Step Amanda Silberling YouTube TV introduces cheaper bundles, including a $65/month sports package Sarah Perez Discord to roll out age verification next month Aisha Malik The backlash over OpenAI’s decision to retire GPT-4o shows how dangerous AI companions can be Amanda Silberling OpenAI launches new agentic coding model only minutes after Anthropic drops its own Lucas Ropek Anthropic releases Opus 4.6 with new ‘agent teams’ Lucas Ropek