Top 5 Android 17 Features: I Swear It's New!
In a Nutshell
Android 17 introduces five major features: independent Wi-Fi and mobile data toggles in quick settings, a built-in selfie camera option for screen recordings, a new bubble bar supporting up to four floating app windows, a foldable game mode that splits the screen between gameplay and an on-screen controller, and minor UI refinements like hidden app labels and customizable search widgets. The update also includes an Asteroids-style Easter egg and various performance tweaks.
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Android 17 is codenamed Cinnamon Bun. Google previously used alphabetical dessert names for Android versions including Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Nougat, Oreo, and Pie. After Q, Google shifted to numeric versioning starting with Android 13. Internal dessert codenames continued, including Red Velvet Cake, Snow Cone, Tiramisu, Upside Down Cake, and Vanilla Ice Cream. Android 16 was internally named Baklava. System notifications in Android 17 display a small cinnamon bun glyph. The speaker advocates for Google to restore public dessert names.
Screen recording now includes a built-in show selfie camera option. Users can enable a live keyed-in camera feed of themselves that can be repositioned, resized, and recorded directly within the stock screen recorder. This eliminates the need for third-party apps to create reaction-style videos.
Foldable devices including the Pixel Fold and Samsung Z Fold series receive a new game mode in Android 17. Games can utilize half the screen for gameplay while the other half displays an on-screen gamepad controller. This feature is available on all foldables receiving the Android 17 update.
The bubble bar allows any app to launch into a floating window that can be minimized into a bubble. Up to four bubbles from different apps can remain open simultaneously, functioning as a multitasking hub layered over background content. Previously, bubble functionality was limited to certain messaging apps. The bubble bar enables scenarios such as taking notes while a YouTube video plays in the background. The new screen recording UI features a pill-shaped indicator at the top of the screen, thematically aligned with the bubble bar design.
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