Google switched up how it rolls out beta releases last year, and with Android 16 releasing earlier than usual, it's only understandable that the Android 17 beta is now live. The initial beta build doesn't have many user-facing changes (as always), but if you're interested in testing out Android 17 before everyone else, you can now do so on your Pixel.
Like previous years, the beta build is limited to Pixels as of now, and that won't change until May at the last.
What phones can install the Android 17 beta?
At this moment, the Android 17 beta is limited to Pixel devices starting from the Pixel 6. The list includes 21 devices in total:
- Pixel 6
- Pixel 6 Pro
- Pixel 6a
- Pixel 7
- Pixel 7 Pro
- Pixel 7a
- Pixel 8
- Pixel 8 Pro
- Pixel 8a
- Pixel 9
- Pixel 9 Pro
- Pixel 9 Pro XL
- Pixel 9 Pro Fold
- Pixel 9a
- Pixel 10
- Pixel 10 Pro
- Pixel 10 Pro XL
- Pixel 10 Pro Fold
- Pixel 10a
- Pixel Fold
- Pixel Tablet
Install Android 17 beta using the Android Beta Program
The easiest way to get the Android 17 beta is to enroll in the Android Beta Program. Just visit the Android Beta portal, where you'll be able to view all your eligible devices for the Android 17 beta. You can then opt-in to the beta, which will then prompt Google to send your phone or tablet an over-the-air update. You should then be able to install the update and restart your phone to make the switch to Android 17 — it's as easy as that.
- Head to the Android Beta program portal on your Pixel phone.
- Sign in to the Google account associated with that phone.
- Scroll down to Your eligible devices.
- Choose the device you want to enroll in the Beta program and tap Opt-in.
- Follow the prompts on your phone to accept the over-the-air download.
You can easily opt out of the beta program by going to the same Android Beta portal as you did to enroll, scrolling down to your device, and selecting Opt out. But be warned; doing so will get delete all the data on your phone.
Install Android 17 using the Android Flash Tool
If you need to install Android 17 and don't want to enroll in the beta, you'll have to use the Android Flash Tool, a web-based version of the ADB developer tool.
As an added note, as this is a production build, installing Android 17 via the Flash Tool will delete all the data on your Pixel; so if you're interested in trying it out, make sure that the data on your phone is backed up.
1. Head to the Android Flash Tool site.
2. Allow the site to access ADB in your browser.
3. Enable Developer Mode on your phone (tap Android build seven times).
4. Enable USB Debugging in the Developer Settings.
5. Enable OEM Unlocking on your device.
6. Plug in your phone to a USB port on your computer.
7. Select the device from the pop-up and follow the instructions to install the beta.
Install Android 17 by flashing the bootloader
If you want to try the Android 17 beta on your Pixel manually, you'll have to flash the OTA onto your Pixel. But before we get started, know that this method will involve deleting all data on your phone.
Before you start doing this, make sure that no OTA updates are yet to be installed on your Pixel. Go to Settings > About phone > System updates and see no pending updates. Also, ensure that you have USB debugging enabled on your phone.
To get started, head to the Android 17 OTA images page, and download the relevant build for your Pixel. To sideload the build onto your Pixel, you'll need to use ADB — I'm a fan of Universal ADB Drivers. Once installed on your Windows machine and the OTA image has been downloaded, you can start sideloading the build.
You'll first need to put your device in recovery mode. You can power off and then hold the Power button along with the Volume Down button for a few seconds to enter the bootloader menu and select the recovery option using the Volume Down button.
Here, you should see the Android mascot face down with an exclamation mark over it. Hold down the Power button and press Volume Up once to enter recovery mode. Next, navigate to the option that says Apply update from ADB by using the Volume Up button and confirm the selection by pressing the Power button once.
Now you are ready to sideload the OTA image. Confirm that your phone can connect to your computer and is detectable. For this, plug your Pixel into your computer and run this command:
adb devicesYou should see your phone's serial number and sideload next to it. Now we can get to flashing the OTA build; just run this in CMD:
adb sideload ota_file.zipHere, you will need to switch out ota_file.zip with the filename of the OTA build for your particular device. For this to work, make sure that the OTA file is located within the same directory as the CMD path.
Once the OTA file is transferred to your phone, it should go back to the recovery menu. Navigate to Reboot system now and confirm with the Power button to restart your phone. The OTA update will be installed and your phone will switch to Android 17.
What comes next with Android 17?
The Android Beta Program is just getting started with Android 17, and with Google stating that it will be a continual release with updates coming out over the course of the year, it will be a little different to previous beta cycles.
Right now, there isn't much of a reason to test Android 17 on your device — while it is stable, there just isn't a key feature that makes sense to download the beta on your Pixel. That will change soon as Google starts rolling out new beta builds, and we should get to the point where the public-facing betas become available. I'd suggest waiting until then to start installing the Android 17 beta on your phone. But if you have a secondary Pixel lying around and just want to see what's new, you can go ahead and switch to Android 17 right now.
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