Google has released Android 17 and started rolling it out to most supported Pixel devices. The Android 17 source code is also available through AOSP, while new devices running the release are expected over the coming months.
Android 17 pushes the ecosystem toward adaptive layouts, Compose-first development, stronger privacy controls, stricter performance behavior, and new AI-facing app capabilities.
Adaptive-first becomes the default
The biggest practical change is around large screens. For apps targeting API 37, Android 17 removes the ability to opt out of orientation and resizability behavior on large screen devices. The system can ignore legacy restrictions such as screenOrientation, setRequestedOrientation(), resizeableActivity=false, and min or max aspect ratio constraints. Games remain exempt, but ordinary apps need to handle changing window sizes as a normal runtime condition.
That direction is reinforced by new multitasking features. Android 17 introduces App Bubbles for any app, a Bubble Bar on tablets and foldables, and interactive Picture-in-Picture for desktop-style environments. Apps that only look correct in a single portrait phone window will be under more pressure than before.
Activity recreation behavior is also changing. Android 17 no longer restarts activities by default for several common configuration changes that do not require a full UI redraw. Apps receive those updates through onConfigurationChanged(). Apps that depend on a full restart can opt in with android:recreateOnConfigChanges.
Android starts exposing app actions to AI agents
Google describes Android 17 as the beginning of a transition from an operating system to an intelligence system. The main developer-facing part of that shift is AppFunctions, a platform API with a Jetpack library that lets apps expose their own actions as callable tools for on-device agents.
In practice, this means an app can describe workflows such as creating a note, starting a task, or updating local data, then make those workflows discoverable to agent experiences. Gemini integration is still in private preview, but Google is already encouraging developers to identify the actions that make sense to expose.
Compose is now the forward path
Android development is now officially Compose-first. Google says new Android APIs, libraries, tools, and guidance will be built for Jetpack Compose. Legacy View components and View-based Jetpack libraries, including Fragments, RecyclerView, and ViewPager, are moving into maintenance mode with critical fixes only.
For existing apps, this does not mean rewriting everything immediately. It does mean that new UI work, adaptive navigation, multi-pane layouts, non-touch input support, and dynamic window handling will be much easier to align with the platform when built in Compose.
Android 17 introduces stricter app memory limits based on total device RAM. If a foreground app or service exceeds those limits, the system can terminate the process. Google is pairing this with tooling such as the R8 configuration analyzer, LeakCanary integration in Android Studio, ApplicationExitInfo diagnostics, and trigger-based profiling through ProfilingManager.
The platform also adds generational garbage collection improvements, a lock-free MessageQueue for apps targeting SDK 37 or higher, stricter handling for static final fields, and tighter custom notification view limits. Apps that depend on reflection into framework internals should be tested carefully.
Privacy and security changes to watch
Android 17 continues the move away from broad, permanent permissions. The release adds a system-level contact picker, customization options for the photo picker, a system-rendered location button for session-only precise location access, and an EyeDropper API for selecting a color from the display without broad screen capture access.
Local network access is also changing. Apps targeting Android 17 need either the ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK runtime permission or a system-mediated device picker for local network communication. SMS OTP protection is stronger as well, with Android delaying access to one-time-password messages in cases where apps are not the intended recipient or are targeting SDK 37 and above.
Other security updates include post-quantum cryptography support through secure hardware on supported devices, hybrid APK signing with v3.2, stricter native dynamic code loading, and safer password entry behavior for physical keyboards.
Android 17 adds several media and camera capabilities, including Eclipsa Video, RAW14 image support, vendor-defined camera extensions, an Extended HE-AAC software encoder, H.266 support paths, APIs for identifying camera device type, and constant-quality video recording controls.
Accessibility also gets attention through better Bluetooth LE Audio hearing aid support and more granular routing for notifications, ringtones, and alarms. CameraX and Media3 have been updated for Android 17, and Google notes that CameraX users should update to version 1.5.2 or 1.6.0+ to avoid a crash related to a newly added dynamic range mode.
Official announcement:
https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/06/Android-17.html
Android 17 developer site:
https://developer.android.com/about/versions/17