Android 17 Beta 2 Released: Lets Users Create Bubble for Any App, Expands SMS OTP Protection

Google started rolling out the first beta version of the Android 17 update earlier this month for eligible Pixel devices enrolled in the company's Android Beta programme. The company says that Android 17 focuses on offering improvements on multiple fronts, including performance, while also providing a smoother user experience. Moreover, it is claimed to introduce efficiency enhancements for the phones. Now, the Mountain View-based tech giant has released the second beta update of Android 17 with new features and expanded scam protection. Additionally, the company is aiming to achieve the platform stability milestone by the middle of next month.

Android 17 Beta 2 Features, Improvements

In an Android Developers blog, the US-based tech giant announced that it has started rolling out the second beta version of the Android 17 update to eligible Pixel smartphones. The new beta update brings multiple core functionality, privacy, performance, and system-level UI improvements and changes.

With the Android 17 Beta 2 update, testers can create bubbles for apps. These floating bubbles can be triggered by long-pressing on an app icon in the pinned taskbar, allowing users to view app pages in a multi-window format for enhanced multitasking and app organisation, enabling them to move bubbles around. The company plans to bring the functionality to tablets, smartphones and foldable phones running on Android 17.

Google has also introduced a new “system-level” EyeDropper API, which allows developers to let their apps request a colour from any pixel on the screen. This functionality will not require users to provide “sensitive screen capture permissions”.

The revamped contacts picker in Android 17 Beta 2 offers temporary read-only access to populate specific data fields as per a user's request. The company claims that this reduces the need for broader access permissions.

The Android 17 Beta 2 version also introduces the Handoff API. With this, users will be able to leave any particular task in any app on one device to resume the same on a different Android device. For example, a user can switch from a phone to a tablet if they want to read something on a bigger screen. It functions similarly to Apple's Handoff feature, which offers a seamless transition from iPhone to iPad and iPad to MacBook.

Lastly, Google is expanding the SMS OTP protection functionality to all kinds of messages with OTP to curb OTP hijacking. Now, apps that do not have permission to access WebOTP format messages will be able to access the same after three hours of when the OTP was received.