Google’s Android Present, forward of I/O 2026 subsequent week, simply wrapped up, and the corporate showcased some main bulletins and options coming to Android 17 later this 12 months. As anticipated, there have been large AI-focused enhancements round Gemini, together with new UI modifications for Android Auto, up to date security options, and even some visible refreshes throughout Android.
Google additionally gave us a sneak peek at a brand-new class of laptops coming later this 12 months. The keynote was filled with bulletins, and under we have rounded up the highest 5 Android 17 upgrades showcased throughout the occasion.
Gemini is getting extra Clever
Gemini has already turn out to be a central a part of Android, and it appears like Google is doubling down on that with a good smarter model of the AI. Google is asking this new system Gemini Intelligence, and it’ll energy quite a few new Android 17 options later this 12 months.
With Gemini Intelligence, Android will be capable of deal with much more advanced duties than earlier than. Proper now, Gemini’s on-screen automation can already do issues like order meals or name a cab on units just like the Galaxy S26 sequence and Pixel 10 lineup. With the upgraded Gemini Intelligence, it’ll additionally be capable of carry out extra superior duties, like checking your Gmail, discovering books, and even including them on to your buying cart.
Picture 1 of 2
Two of the most important new options powered by Gemini Intelligence are Rambler and Create My Widget. Rambler is an upgraded speech-to-text expertise for Pixel units. It understands extra pure speech patterns, together with pauses, corrections, and filler phrases like ‘umms’ and ‘ahhs,’ and codecs them appropriately whereas transcribing. It additionally helps multilingual enter, that means you’ll be able to change between languages naturally whereas talking.
The opposite characteristic, and possibly my favourite, is AI-powered widget creation. With Gemini Intelligence, you can create customized widgets simply by describing what you need. Gemini can pull info from different Google apps and generate widgets tailor-made to your wants.
For instance, you could possibly create a widget displaying a number of world clocks directly or one which tracks your each day calorie consumption. These widgets will even sync throughout different Google units, together with Put on OS watches and Googlebooks later this 12 months.
Fast Share to AirDrop help is coming to extra units
Late final 12 months, Google added help for sharing recordsdata between Android’s Fast Share and Apple’s AirDrop on the Pixel 10 sequence, and later expanded it to the Pixel 9 lineup earlier this 12 months. Samsung additionally launched the characteristic on the Galaxy S26 sequence and not too long ago expanded it to the Galaxy S25 lineup and a few older units.
Now, much more Android telephones will help the characteristic. Google says units from companions like Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, Xiaomi, and Honor will even achieve help for Fast Share to AirDrop transfers. And for units that do not help native sharing, Google says customers will nonetheless be capable of generate a QR code to switch recordsdata by the cloud to iPhones.
Google can also be bettering the method for switching from iPhone to Android. The corporate says extra advanced information, together with saved passwords and even your property display structure, will now carry over when transferring from an iPhone to an Android cellphone — one thing that was beforehand lacking.
We have all been there, selecting up the cellphone to do one thing shortly after which ending up scrolling Instagram or TikTok for a lot longer than supposed. Google desires to assist customers break that behavior with a brand new Android characteristic referred to as Pause Level.
Pause Level helps you to mark sure apps as distracting, and everytime you open them, Android will first present a brief 10-second pause display earlier than letting you proceed. Throughout that point, it could possibly recommend issues like respiratory workouts, setting a timer for the app, favourite pictures, and even switching to one thing much less distracting, like an audiobook app.
Google says this method works higher than conventional app timers as a result of these are simple to show off or ignore. Pause Level as an alternative provides extra friction, and if you wish to disable it fully, Android would require a full cellphone restart earlier than the characteristic can really be turned off.
Android is lastly getting redesigned 3D emojis
In all probability the smallest, but one way or the other one of many greatest, bulletins throughout right now’s Android Present keynote was that Android is lastly getting redesigned 3D emojis. For years, individuals have complained that Android emojis look too flat and uninspiring, particularly in comparison with those on iPhones, and Google is lastly altering that.
Google nonetheless hasn’t proven the complete redesigned emoji set but, solely teasing a number of examples thus far, however the firm says the brand new 3D emojis will begin rolling out to Pixel units later this 12 months.
Android 17 provides stronger protections towards scams and frauds
Google already claims that Android blocks extra scams and frauds than the iPhone, and with Android 17, the corporate is pushing these protections even additional. Google says it is partnering with choose banks and monetary establishments for brand new anti-spoofing name safety.
Mainly, in the event you obtain a name from somebody pretending to be your financial institution, Android will be capable of confirm within the background with the official banking app put in in your cellphone whether or not the decision is official or not. If it detects one thing suspicious, it could possibly instantly flag and minimize the decision.
Google can also be bettering Dwell Menace Detection. Android 17 will now scan apps for suspicious conduct, together with issues like SMS forwarding, hidden background launches, or misuse of accessibility overlays.
Chrome on Android can also be getting stronger Protected Searching protections. Should you attempt to obtain an APK or app from a third-party supply, Chrome will actively analyze it for malware and block the obtain if it detects something dangerous.
Discover Hub can also be gaining a helpful new safety characteristic with an upgraded “Mark as Misplaced” mode. Whenever you mark your cellphone as misplaced, Android 17 can now lock the machine behind biometric authentication along with your PIN or password. This provides one other layer of safety, stopping somebody from unlocking the machine even when they one way or the other know the passcode.
Android will even disguise Fast Settings whereas the machine is locked, stopping thieves from disabling Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which may be essential once you’re making an attempt to trace a misplaced cellphone.
However that is not all…
General, Google is making ready a reasonably main Android 17 replace for later this 12 months. We anticipate most of those options to reach across the Pixel 11 launch window in August or September, or probably by a later Android 17 QPR launch.
And these weren’t the one bulletins both. Google additionally confirmed off new Gemini integrations coming to Chrome on Android, together with a number of creator-focused enhancements.
That stated, in all probability essentially the most attention-grabbing announcement from the keynote was Google’s new Googlebook laptop computer lineup, which appears like the corporate’s subsequent large step past Chromebooks and towards a extra Gemini-focused computing expertise.
