I tested Android 17 on my Pixel 9 Pro - its app bubbles are a multitasker's dream

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Android 17 has arrived for Pixel devices.
The caller update brings immoderate important features.
Some features marque multitasking overmuch easier.

It's here, it's here! Android 17 is here!

OK, it's not that exciting. Sure, it's a caller merchandise of our favourite mobile operating system, but this isn't comparable to the leap from Android 15 to Android 16. That doesn't mean it's missing thing caller and exciting. In fact, there's 1 peculiar diagnostic that astir had maine shouting, "Huzzah!"

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The upgrade arrived connected my Pixel 9 Pro this greeting and took astir 30 minutes to download and install. If you person a Pixel phone, you tin expect the upgrade immoderate clip now; for different Android handsets, you'll request to hold until the OS arrives for your device.

What are the caller features that instantly grabbed my attention?

1. Desktop mode

I've already written astir the caller Android Desktop Mode, truthful I won't spell into excessively overmuch detail. Suffice it to say, this could precise good beryllium 1 of the features that changes the crippled for truthful galore Android users. Imagine plugging your Android telephone into an outer monitor, and past attaching a Bluetooth rodent and keyboard to alteration your telephone OS into a full-blown desktop. That's what Desktop mode does.

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Desktop mode is Google's mentation of Samsung's DeX, and it works to perfection. Considering my investigating was during the Android 17 beta phase, you tin warrant that it's adjacent much polished now.

2. App bubbles

This, close here, is different big-ticket point (for me). I've utilized message bubbles before, truthful I knew however useful they could be. But app bubbles instrumentality utilizing Android to a full caller level.

App bubbles let you to "bubble" apps, truthful you tin past much easy power betwixt them. Essentially, this is arsenic adjacent to desktop-like multitasking arsenic has ever been applied to Android, and it works great.

To activate it, each you bash is long-press an app launcher and past pat either Bubble oregon the tiny quadrate successful the upper-right country of the pop-up menu. I'm not rather definite wherefore immoderate apps see a Bubble introduction and wherefore immoderate don't, but either way, it's casual to use.

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Once you've bubbled an app, it'll unrecorded arsenic a bubble connected your homescreen. Add different app to the bubble, and it'll articulation the original. Keep adding bubbled apps until you person everything you need, and you tin easy power betwixt them from wrong the bubble. (You tin lone person 1 postulation of bubbles connected the homescreen astatine a time.)

You conscionable adhd the apps that you cognize you'll often use, and past you'll person instant access. Just pat the bubble and past pat the app you need.

3. Selfie camera successful screengrabs

For anyone who's ever had to amusement idiosyncratic other however to bash thing connected their Android telephone from a region (or make how-to contented for YouTube), this is simply a game-changer.

When you spell to movie a surface signaling connected Android 17, you tin present alteration the selfie cam, truthful you tin narrate what's going connected -- each the while, you're connected show from the shoulders up.

This is simply a large diagnostic that volition truly assistance a batch of radical (such arsenic myself) marque the lives of others adjacent easier.

To alteration the feature, unfastened the Quick Tiles section, pat "Screen recording," and past marque definite to alteration the Selfie cam.

4. Recent apps improvement

If you unfastened the caller apps leafage (upward swipe until they appear), you'll announcement each app present includes the afloat sanction of the app and a drop-down. The drop-down allows you to pin the app, divided the screen, instrumentality a screenshot, prime the app, oregon wide the caller apps.

This caller betterment makes it truthful overmuch easier to interact with the caller apps page.

5. Early GUI Linux support

The Linux terminal successful Android is undergoing an important evolution, and soon we'll beryllium capable to tally full-blown Linux GUI apps. You tin spot the introductory stages successful the Android 17 iteration of the Linux terminal by tapping the GUI icon successful the upper-right country of the Linux terminal.

I indispensable caution you that this diagnostic is obscurity adjacent usable. I opened it, hoping to springiness it a trial run, but there's nary mode to tally a GUI app that I could tell. In fact, I attempted to instal LibreOffice, lone to find the installation failed. After that happened, the Linux terminal wholly flaked retired connected maine to the constituent I had to bash a afloat reset (of the terminal app, not the phone).

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After the reset, I did upwind up astatine a login punctual for the GUI feature. I past went backmost to the modular terminal, created a caller user, gave the idiosyncratic a password, and added the idiosyncratic to the sudo group. I was past capable to log successful with that caller idiosyncratic connected the GUI broadside of things. I haven't tested this immoderate further, but I'm assuming I could instal a afloat desktop environment, similar Xfce, and past tally GUI apps. I'll springiness that a spell erstwhile I'm feeling a spot much adventurous.

6. Enhanced HDR brightness

If you devour a batch of HDR (High Dynamic Range) contented (videos and images), past you'll truly admit this feature. Enhanced HDR brightness allows you to power however HDR contented is displayed connected your phone. For instance, you mightiness privation to spot crystal-clear, agleam skies successful your videos. For that, alteration Enhanced HDR brightness and acceptable it to max.

This diagnostic makes a large quality successful however HDR contented looks. If you similar your HDR videos and images to truly pop, marque definite this is enabled and determination that slider each the mode to the right.

There are different caller features successful Android 17, but the supra are those that truly basal retired for me.

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