Google’s Android show just concluded ahead of I/O 2026 next week, and the company showed off some major announcements and features coming to Android 17 later this year. As expected, there are big AI-focused improvements around Gemini, as well as new UI changes for Android Auto, updated security features, and even some visual refreshes to Android.
Google also gave us a glimpse of a brand new line of laptops coming later this year. The keynote was packed with announcements, and below we’ve listed the top five Android 17 upgrades showcased during the event.
Geminis are becoming more intelligent
Gemini has already become a central part of Android, and it looks like Google is doubling down on it with an even smarter version of the AI. Google is calling this new system Gemini Intelligence, and it will power a number of new systems Android 17 features due later this year.
With Gemini Intelligence, Android will be able to handle even more complex tasks than before. Now, Gemini’s on-screen automation can already do things like ordering food or hailing a cab on devices like the Galaxy S26 series and Pixel 10 lineup. With advanced Gemini intelligence, it will also be able to perform more advanced tasks like checking your Gmail, finding books, and even adding them directly to your shopping cart.
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The two biggest new features are Rambler and Create My Widget, powered by Gemini Intelligence. Rambler is an advanced speech-to-text experience for Pixel devices. It understands more natural speech patterns, including pauses, corrections and filler words like ‘um’ and ‘ah’, and formats them correctly when transcribing. It also supports multilingual input, meaning you can switch between languages naturally while speaking.
The second feature, and probably my favorite, is AI-powered widget creation. With Gemini Intelligence, you will be able to create custom widgets by describing what you want. Gemini can pull information from other Google apps and create widgets tailored to your needs.
For example, you can create a widget that shows multiple world clocks at once or create a widget that tracks your daily calorie intake. These widgets will also sync to other Google devices, including Wear OS watches and Googlebooks, later this year.
Quick Share to AirDrop support coming to more devices
Now, even more Android phones will support this feature. Google says that devices from partners like Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, Xiaomi, and Honor will also get support for Quick Share to AirDrop transfer. And for devices that don’t support native sharing, Google says users will still be able to generate a QR code to transfer files to iPhones via the cloud.
Google is also improving the process for switching from iPhone to Android. The company says that more complex data, including saved passwords and even your home screen layout, will now be carried over when moving from an iPhone to an Android phone – something that was previously missing.
We’ve all been there, quickly pick up the phone to do something and then end up scrolling through Instagram or TikTok longer than expected. Google wants to help users break that habit with a new Android feature called Pause Point.
Pause Point lets you mark certain apps as distracting, and whenever you open them, Android will show you a short 10-second pause screen before continuing. During that time, it can suggest things like breathing exercises, setting a timer for an app, looking at a favorite photo, or even switching to something less distracting like an audiobook app.
Google says this approach works better than traditional app timers because they’re easier to turn off or ignore. Pause Point instead adds more friction, and if you want to disable it completely, Android will require a full phone restart before the feature can actually turn off.
Android is finally getting 3D emoji redesigns
Possibly one of the smallest, yet biggest announcements during today’s Android Show keynote, was that Android is finally getting redesigned 3D emoji. For years, people have complained that Android emoji look too flat and dull, especially compared to iPhones, and Google is finally changing that.
Google still hasn’t shown off the full redesigned emoji set, only teasing a few examples so far, but the company says the new 3D emoji will start arriving on Pixel devices later this year.
Android 17 adds stronger protection against scams and fraud
Google already claims this Android prevents more scams and fraud than the iPhone, and with Android 17, the company is pushing those protections even further. Google says it is partnering with select banks and financial institutions for new anti-spoofing call protection.
Basically, if you get a call from someone pretending to be your bank, Android will be able to verify in the background with the official banking app installed on your phone whether the call is legitimate or not. If it finds something suspicious, it can immediately flag and disconnect the call.
Google is also improving Live Threat Detection. Android 17 will now scan apps for suspicious behavior, including things like SMS forwarding, hidden background launches, or abuse of the accessibility overlay.
Chrome on Android is also getting stronger Safe Browsing protections. If you try to download an APK or app from a third-party source, Chrome will actively analyze it for malware and block the download if anything harmful is found.
Find Hub is also getting a useful new security feature with an enhanced “Mark as Lost” mode. When you mark your phone as lost, Android 17 can now lock the device behind biometric authentication in addition to your PIN or password. This adds another layer of security, preventing someone from unlocking the device, even if they somehow know the passcode.
Android will also hide quick settings when the device is locked, preventing thieves from disabling Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which can be important if you’re trying to track a lost phone.
But that’s not all…
Overall, Google is preparing a huge Android 17 update later this year. We expect most of these features to arrive around Pixel 11 launch window in August or September, or possibly later through the Android 17 QPR release.
And these weren’t the only announcements either. Google also showed off the new Gemini integration coming to Chrome on Android, along with several manufacturer-focused improvements.
That said, perhaps the most interesting announcement from the keynote was Google’s new Googlebook laptop lineup, which appears to be the company’s next big step beyond Chromebooks and toward a more Gemini-centric computing experience.
