By Devesh Beri
Publication Date: 2026-02-12 18:00:00
Android 17 Beta 1 is (almost) available, building on the Android 16 QPR and opening public testing for its next major OS update. The company briefly posted system images before pulling them and telling the media the build is now “coming soon” rather than available, per our colleagues over at PCMag.
The OS, internally called “Cinnamon Bun,” skips Developer Previews entirely, meaning it will roll out automatically to current Pixel beta testers. Google now uses a continuous Canary channel for early testing. This makes public betas the main option for developers and testers.
This introductory version of Android 17 requires apps to properly fill the screen on foldables and tablets; developers can no longer opt out of orientation and resizing requirements that Android 16 made optional. Android 17 also introduces several new features to improve performance, like garbage collection to reduce CPU usage, support for the H.266/VVC codec to play 8K videos, smoother transitions…
