In short, the first Android 17 beta is packed with things that may interest developers and modders, but little is known about user-facing changes right now.
android 17 release schedule
Google has made some notable changes to the way it releases Android updates, and Android 17 continues this trend. Like last year, there will be two Android 17 releases in 2026. The first, coming in Q2, will be the more important of the two. This will include new APIs, behavior changes, and feature updates. This split release setup was implemented to better align when major OEMs release new devices, but Android 17 availability is still primarily focused on the Pixel. Google’s phones receive updates immediately, but everyone else has to wait for the OEM to release an update in the next weeks or months.
At the end of the year, another version (you can think of it as Android 17.1, even though Google doesn’t give it a name) will become available on supported devices. This “minor SDK release” will include some API and feature changes, but Google has no details at this time.
Before we get to that, Google is planning to launch a second beta release in March. The company says Beta 2 will include the final API, allowing developers to complete testing and release updates. Developers will have “several months” to complete that work before the final version arrives on the Pixel.
In 2025, Google also changed the way it updates open source parts of Android. Instead of regular code dumps, Google now only updates the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) twice a year, in the second and fourth quarters, when new versions are released. This makes it hard to know what to expect from upcoming versions of Android, but Google says it’s more efficient.
If you want to check out Android 17 today, you’ll need a Pixel device. It supports Pixel 6, Pixel 7, Pixel 8, Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 generations. Also included are the Pixel Tablet and the original Pixel Fold. Other phone makers may release beta builds in the coming weeks, but this is a Google-only event for now. You can opt to receive the OTA on Android 17 on the beta program website.
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