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Google released Android 17 Beta 2 for Pixel Devices!

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Haneet Singh
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Android 17 beta 2
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Google has released the second Android 17 beta for Pixel devices, two weeks after the program’s initial rollout. The newest release comes in with a slew of noteworthy changes and bug fixes, and remains available to all compatible Pixel devices dating back to the Pixel 6 lineup.

Android 17 Beta 2 for Pixel devices is seeding with the CP21.260206.011 build number. Whereas the Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro received the new update with the CP21.260206.011.A1 version number. The incremental upgrade weighs around 550MB in download size on the Pixel 8 series. The update bumps up the monthly security patch version to February 2026.

Google has shared the list of new changes and bug fixes on the official Android Developers page. As per the details, the update brings a new Bubble App feature that lets users bubble any app by long-pressing its launcher icon, while the EyeDropper API allows apps to capture pixel colors from anywhere on the screen without needing screen capture permissions. Apart from these changes, the update addressed a long list of bugs.

What’s New in Android 17 Beta 2

User Experience & System UI

  • Bubbles: Users can now bubble any app by long-pressing launcher icons. On large screens, a new bubble bar in the taskbar manages organized and anchored bubbles. Apps should follow multi-window guidelines.
  • EyeDropper API: A new system API allows apps to capture pixel colors from anywhere on the display without requiring screen capture permissions.
  • Contacts Picker: The ACTION_PICK_CONTACTS intent provides a system-level picker. It grants temporary, session-based access to specific fields, reducing the need for full READ_CONTACTS permissions.
  • Touchpad Pointer Capture: By default, captured touchpads now behave like mice, reporting relative movement and gestures instead of raw finger coordinates. Legacy absolute mode remains available via POINTER_CAPTURE_MODE_ABSOLUTE.
  • Interactive Chooser: Apps can use getInitialRestingBounds on a ChooserSession to identify the final UI position of the Chooser for better layout adjustments.

Connectivity & Cross-Device

  • Cross-device Handoff: The new Handoff API enables state resumption across devices (e.g., phone to tablet) via CompanionDeviceManager.
  • Advanced Ranging
    • UWB DL-TDOA: Supports FiRA 4.0 for privacy-preserving indoor navigation.
    • Proximity Detection: Implements WiFi Alliance specs for improved WiFi-based ranging.
  • Data Plan Enhancements: Apps can query carrier-allocated downlink/uplink max rates for streaming using getStreamingAppMaxDownlinkKbps and getStreamingAppMaxUplinkKbps.

Core Functionality, Privacy & Performance

  • Local Network Access: Android 17 introduces the ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK permission (part of the NEARBY_DEVICES group) to protect LAN communication.
  • Time Zone Broadcast: A new intent, ACTION_TIMEZONE_OFFSET_CHANGED, triggers specifically on offset changes like DST transitions.
  • NPU Management: Apps targeting Android 17 must declare the FEATURE_NEURAL_PROCESSING_UNIT hardware feature to directly access the NPU.
  • ICU 78: Updated internationalization libraries support Unicode 17.
  • SMS OTP Protection: To prevent hijacking, Android 17 delays programmatic access to OTP messages by three hours for most apps. Developers should transition to SMS Retriever or SMS User Consent APIs.

Issues Fixed in Beta 2

  • A platform stability regression in Android 16 that caused active apps to unexpectedly restart or refresh, preventing lost user progress and intermittent UI flickering during app usage. (Issue #440017096)
  • A UI layout regression in the Recent Apps screen for users with German-language settings. (Issue #476830557, Issue #486511401)
  • Improved video streaming reliability by enabling developers to confirm temporal layering support via getOutputFormat after encoder configuration to address missing frame dependency metadata. (Issue #306222291)
  • A bug where the Clock screensaver omitted the leading zero in 24-hour format during low-light mode. (Issue #444255729)
  • An issue where closing a folder blocked immediate subsequent interactions like opening another folder or switching screens. (Issue #470541347, Issue #471533397, Issue #477848604)
  • A system crash and spontaneous reboot issue that interrupted device usage. (Issue #413562426)
  • A critical system instability causing device freezes and reboots during app transitions or service calls. (Issue #419070024, Issue #428572458, Issue #430393241, Issue #424912278, Issue #431440391, Issue #426346396)
  • A System UI deadlock that caused lock screen unresponsiveness and display hangs after disconnecting from Android Auto. (Issue #457527675)
  • A UI typo in the system location permission disclosure dialog where the Back button was incorrectly displayed as ‘Bac’. (Issue #460242870, Issue #477245738)
  • An issue where Live Translate and Rules were incorrectly categorized in the System menu. (Issue #476754995)
  • A critical System UI crash and subsequent device instability triggered by repeated navigation into Display and Touch settings. (Issue #474486679)
  • A persistent crash that prevented users from opening Wallpaper & style settings from the home screen. (Issue #478520173)
  • A UI layout issue in the Wireless Debugging QR scanner where the back arrow overlapped the QR icon. (Issue #474769647)
  • An issue in the Sound settings where ringtone previews failed to play upon selection. (Issue #355086959, Issue #375840924, Issue #381007949, Issue #381077928, Issue #419301121, Issue #452646483, Issue #468837747)
  • A bug that caused redundant notifications to appear following a system update by improving the notification service logic to correctly clear stale alerts during the post-update initialization process. (Issue #454647834)
  • A GPU shader compiler optimization bug on Pixel 6 Pro that caused specific GLSL mathematical expressions to evaluate incorrectly as constants, resulting in visual rendering artifacts in apps. (Issue #473226715)

If you own an eligible device, you can opt for the Android beta program to receive Android 17 Beta 2. However, since this is a beta update, only apply for it if you’re aware of its risks. To apply, go to the official beta page and follow the in-page instructions.

Those who are already in the Android 16 QPR beta program and haven’t opted out will also receive the Android 17 update.

Once you apply for the Android 17 Beta 2 update, you won’t be able to revert to the stable release without resetting your phone. This is only possible once Android 17 is released, which is likely to happen in June. So make sure you’re aware of this before applying for the Android 17 Beta update.

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Haneet Singh

Haneet is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of YTECHB. He has a huge passion for tinkering with latest smartphones, wearables, smart home devices, smart TVs, and more. As an avid Apple Ecosystem user, he loves customizing his iPhone and iPad to suit his needs.For tips, you can connect Haneet at haneetsingh@outlook.comIn 2019, Haneet and the YTECHB team exclusively shared the wallpapers of iPhone 11 right before the launch event. In 2020, Haneet alongside his team members shared exclusive renders and official photos of two Samsung Galaxy smartphones - the Galaxy M11, and Galaxy M21. Later, the YTECHB team leaks information about Motorola's feature phones and Razr 3. In the last few months, our team shared Galaxy S24 Ultra leaks and more.You may come across with our work getting mentioned in The Times of India, India Today, Hindustan Times, NDTV, TechRadar, Digital Trends, Yahoo News, GSMArena, Android Authority, Android Central, Android Headlines, SamMobile, XDA, 9to5Google, and many other publications.He works across news, updates, features, guides, and more. If YTECHB writes about it, you can expect him to be involved in some way.

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