What you need to know
- Motorola has detailed the new features coming to its phones with the upcoming Android 17 software update.
- Android 17 will bring stackable widgets, themed icons, Live Updates, and AI-powered notification summaries.
- More than 50 Motorola phones are confirmed to receive Android 17, including recent Razr and Edge models.
We finally know what features Motorola is bringing to its phones with the Android 17 update.
Now that Google has rolled out Android 17 for Pixel phones, more brands are starting to detail their own updates. We recently saw Nothing showcase Nothing OS 5.0 based on Android 17, and now Motorola has revealed some of the features coming to its devices.
As detailed on Motorola India's support page, the Android 17 update will bring changes to the home screen and notifications, alongside several new security features. One of the biggest additions is stackable widgets, which will let users combine multiple widgets into a single block on the home screen. Users will also be able to use themed icons and hide labels from Quick Settings tiles.
In terms of notifications, Motorola is finally adding support for Live Updates, alongside notification summaries that can condense longer notifications into a single sentence for quicker reading.
Motorola also says eligible devices will use machine learning models to identify low-priority notifications and bundle them into a separate quiet section under silent notifications.
You can check out Motorola's full Android 17 changelog below:
Home screen and quick settings improvements
Stackable widgets
You can now stack widgets, combining multiple widgets into a single block on your home screen. Instead of taking up several grids on your home screen for your weather, calendar, battery and music player, stack them and swipe the stack to switch between them.
Themed icons
You can now use an icon theme that coordinates with your overall theme. Touch & hold a blank space on your Home screen, then tap Home settings > Themed icons.
Hide quick setting labels when using Classic style
If you're using Classic style for quick settings, you can now hide labels on the settings tiles. Hiding them frees up screen space if you already recognise the icons.
Improved notifications
Live updates
Live updates let apps to display real-time, ongoing data. Instead of sending multiple notifications, an app can now continuously update a single live snippet in your status bar or notifications. You can turn these on or off.
Notification summaries
You can now peek at your notifications for a one-sentence summary of a lengthy group chat or a rapid-fire thread from messaging apps (like WhatsApp or Messages).
Organised notifications
Your phone now organises your notifications to separate your personal messages from clutter and automated alerts. It uses machine learning to screen lower-priority notifications and bundles them into separate, quiet folders under the Silent section of your notifications.
New settings
Enhanced HDR brightness control
When you view HDR content – like an Ultra HDR photo in Google Photos, a HDR video on YouTube or an HDR feed on Instagram – your phone's display automatically sets brightness to its highest limits to make the highlights pop.
You can now limit this brightness to a more comfortable level by adjusting the intensity of Enhanced HDR brightness or turning it off to force HDR photos and videos to play at a normal brightness level.
New sharing features in Connected devices
There are two new ways to share in Settings > Connected devices:
To share a photo or file with one other person, use Tap to Share by placing your phones together. To share with a reusable group, use Quick Drop to send photos or files to friends or a team simultaneously.
Other improvements
Android system upgrades add more than new features. Using the latest Android update provides other improvements such as:
Enhanced security and protection to defend against evolving threats like malware, phishing and data breaches.
App compatibility with newer apps, which often require the latest Android version to function correctly.
Performance improvements that optimise your phone's operating system for smoother performance, better stability and, in some cases, longer battery life.
Bug fixes and stability enhancements to resolve known issues and improve overall reliability and stability
There are a few other changes coming as well. As highlighted in a report by FoneArena, Motorola's Android 17 update will bring improvements to cross-platform Quick Share, although that still doesn't include AirDrop compatibility with iPhones. You can also expect features like Audio Sharing, a refreshed Quick Settings panel, and improved HDR brightness management.
Motorola has already confirmed that Android 17 will roll out to more than 50 devices, including several recent Razr and Edge models. You can check out the full list of Motorola phones getting Android 17 right here.
