Android 17 beta 2 brings a new multitasking trick and cross-device handoff

What you need to know

• In Android 17 Beta 2, users can now turn any application into a floating bubble by long-pressing on the app icon in the launcher.
• Cross-device app Handoff lets you continue tasks seamlessly across Android devices.
• A system-level contact picker now limits apps to temporary read-only contact access.
• Android 17 beta 2 expands SMS OTP protection and strengthens local network privacy.

Google faced a few issues with the rollout of the first Android 17 beta, but the company is not waiting long for the next release. Google has already started rolling out Android 17 beta 2 for developers.

While it may seem like not much time has passed, Android 17 beta 2 is shaping up to be a fairly significant update with several new features and plenty of bug fixes, including a bug that caused spontaneous reboots and interface freezes.

Android 17 beta 2 comes with build number CP21.260206.011 and is roughly 510MB in size. Google has addressed multiple bugs in this release, but it has also quietly introduced several new features under the hood.

One of the new additions is the Bubbles feature. Google describes Bubbles as a windowing mode feature, similar to how conversations already appear in bubbles on Android.

With Android 17 beta 2, users can now create app bubbles by long-pressing an app icon in the launcher. On large screens, there is also a dedicated bubble bar in the taskbar where users can organize, move, and manage bubbles more easily.

Android 17 beta 2 brings real multitasking

There is also a new system-level contact picker. Instead of apps requiring full access to your contacts, Android can now grant temporary read-only access to specific contact fields requested by the user.

Alongside this, Google is introducing a new Cross-device app handoff feature. The handoff feature allows you to start an activity on one device and continue it seamlessly on another. For example, you could start writing a note on an app your Android phone and continue exactly where you left off on your Android tablet.

Apple has offered something similar through Continuity, and now Google is bringing its own version to Android.

When active, Android displays a handoff suggestion in the launcher on nearby devices. Google says the feature is designed to enable seamless task continuity across the Android ecosystem.

According to the company, Handoff supports both native app-to-app transitions and app-to-web fallback, meaning the experience works even if the native app is not installed on the receiving device.

Additionally, Android 17 beta 2 also introduces a new EyeDropper API that allows developers to request a color from any pixel on the display without requiring sensitive screen capture permissions. There are also several privacy improvements, including expanded SMS OTP protection and new safeguards against unauthorized local network access.

If you want to try Android 17 beta 2, make sure your Pixel device is enrolled in the Android Beta Program. OTA update has already started rolling out, but if the update has not appeared yet, you can sideload it or flash the factory image manually. Otherwise, you can wait for the stable release of Android 17, which is expected in mid-2026.