I've had Android 17 on my Pixel for months. These are the first 8 features you need to try

After four months of beta testing, the day has finally come: Android 17 is now officially rolling out to Pixel phones. We’ve been keeping a close eye on Android 17 ever since Beta 1 launched back in February, and now that the update is available for everyone, Pixel users across the globe have a heap of new features and changes to sink their teeth into.

Big Android updates like this are exciting, but they can also be a little overwhelming. If you haven’t been tracking the various beta releases, you probably don’t know where to start after downloading Android 17.

Thankfully, I do. After months of playing with the betas and now having downloaded the official build on my Pixel 10 Pro Fold, here are the eight best features you need to try once you download Android 17.

Multitasking bubbles

If there’s one hallmark feature of Android 17, it’s app bubbles. What are app bubbles? Precisely what the name suggests — a way to run your apps in bubbles. Why would you want to do this? Because it’s a fantastic boon for multitasking.

Using app bubbles is extremely easy: press and hold on an application (on your home screen or in your app drawer), tap Bubble, and that app is opened in a new bubble UI — taking up most of your phone display, though you can quickly close the app by tapping its bubble icon at the top of your display. When you do this, the app minimizes, though the icon remains on the side of your screen for easy access, no matter what you’re doing. As you bubble more apps, you can quickly switch between them from the bubble UI, and all of your bubbled apps are always present with just a tap on the edge of your display.

There are a lot of cool ways you can utilize app bubbles. Have a lot of messaging apps you frequently use throughout the day? Turn each one into a bubble so they’re all easily within reach. If you frequently check your calendar app or play podcasts throughout the day, bubbling those apps can be great, too. Every app on your phone can be turned into a bubble, and although Google still has a couple of kinks to iron out, app bubbles are already a phenomenal part of Android 17.

Redesigned screen recording UI

If you regularly take screen recordings on your phone, Android 17 has completely revamped the interface for the better and added a few new settings, too.

For starters, the new UI in Android 17 is a big improvement. All the controls are essentially the same as in Android 16, but they’re laid out much better now. Device audio and microphone toggles are now displayed together, rather than hidden behind a dropdown menu. You can now choose which app to screen record in the same initial screen recording UI, whereas before it happened on another page. It’s all just so much cleaner than in Android 16.

While screen recording, you can tap the indicator to customize settings mid-recording, allowing you to show/hide touches or change your audio settings without having to stop and start a new recording. And when you’re finished, Android 17 displays a new preview page that automatically plays back your recording with shortcuts to start a new recording, edit your existing one, delete it, or share it.

Hide app names on your home screen

Home screen customization has always been lacking on Google’s Pixel phones compared to the competitors. Slowly but surely, however, Google has been taking steps to improve things — and Android 17 takes another step in the right direction.

Press and hold on your Pixel home screen, tap Wallpaper & style, tap Icons, tap Names, and then tap the toggle next to Show app names. This removes the usual app name from your home screen, giving you a much cleaner, more minimalist look.

New expanded dark theme controls

Dark mode is the way to go, and in Android 16 QPR2, Google added a new “Expanded” dark theme option that forces dark mode on apps that don’t natively support it. It’s a great feature, but sometimes, that forced dark theme causes readability issues and other visual glitches.

When the expanded dark theme was first introduced last December, selecting it applied it to all your apps. But in Android 17, you can now choose which apps you do and don’t want expanded dark theme to touch.

From the Settings app, tap Display & touch, tap Dark theme, ensure Expanded is selected, and then tap the settings gear icon next to it. From here, you can enable/disable expanded dark theme on a per-app basis. It’s a really minute level of control, and I’m very happy to have it.

Temporary precise location access

Granting precise location access is essential for certain app functions, but it’s also a big ask you don’t want to hand out willy-nilly across all your applications. And even for the apps you do trust, you probably don’t want them having your precise location 24/7 — but only when they actually need it.

Android 17 has a clever solution to this. While you’ve previously been able to grant one-time location access to an app, there’s never been a streamlined way to do this. Android 17 adds a new dedicated “Use precise location” button that developers can add to their apps to clearly indicate features that require your precise location.

For example, if you’re using an app for your favorite coffee chain, you could tap the “Use precise location” button to view locations near you. The request for your precise location is clearly marked, and once you close the app, precise location permission is revoked. Enhanced privacy features are always welcome, so this is a good change.

This particular feature is dependent on developers adding it to their apps, but as that happens, it’s absolutely something you should use.

Wi-Fi and mobile data quick settings toggles

For years, Android has frustratingly lumped Wi-Fi and mobile data settings into a single quick settings toggle. I’m sure this sounded good on paper, but as you’re likely more than aware, it’s just bad UX. To turn on Wi-Fi, you have to tap the internet tile and then the Wi-Fi toggle. It’s a two-step process for what should be one, and in Android 17, Google has finally listened to our complaints.

Instead of that one internet title in the quick settings, you now have separate tiles for Wi-Fi and mobile data. Better yet, tapping the toggle on each tile immediately turns each connection on/off without having to see a pop-up menu. This is how it always should have been, and I’m thrilled Google made this change in Android 17.

Satellite connectivity shortcut

Speaking of your quick settings, there’s another new tile you’ll find in here after downloading Android 17: a satellite tile! Satellite connectivity is becoming increasingly common on our phones, and if it’s a feature you value, Android 17 makes accessing your satellite settings easier than ever.

Swipe down twice from the top of your screen to view your full quick settings, then tap the edit icon below them (it looks like three squares with a pencil). Under the Connectivity page, you’ll see the new Satellite option.

Tapping this toggle opens your satellite settings, where you can view your connection status and compatible apps. This is also the page where you can try the satellite demo if you need a refresher on how it works.

Dedicated assistant volume

In Android 16 and previous versions, the volume for Gemini (or whatever your preferred AI assistant is) is tied to your phone’s media volume. As someone who listens to podcasts and watches YouTube on my phone, I keep the volume up for those. However, I don’t like Gemini loudly responding to various questions throughout the day, so I’m constantly turning my media volume down to accommodate it — and then back up again when it’s podcast or YouTube time.

In Android 17, this is no longer the case. Open the Settings app, tap Sound & vibration, and you’ll see a new Assistant volume slider. Now, your media volume is just for media volume, while responses from Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, etc., are tied to your assistant volume. It’s such a simple change, but one I think you’ll appreciate every single day.