Google’s Android Show, ahead of I/O 2026 next week, just wrapped up, and the company showcased some major announcements and features coming to Android 17 later this year. As expected, there were big AI-focused improvements around Gemini, along with new UI changes for Android Auto, updated safety features, and even some visual refreshes across Android.
Google also gave us a sneak peek at a brand-new category of laptops coming later this year. The keynote was packed with announcements, and below we’ve rounded up the top five Android 17 upgrades showcased during the event.
Gemini is getting more Intelligent
Gemini has already become a central part of Android, and it looks like Google is doubling down on that with an even smarter version of the AI. Google is calling this new system Gemini Intelligence, and it will power a number of new Android 17 features later this year.
With Gemini Intelligence, Android will be able to handle even more complex tasks than before. Right now, Gemini’s on-screen automation can already do things like order food or call a cab on devices like the Galaxy S26 series and Pixel 10 lineup. With the upgraded 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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Two of the biggest new features powered by Gemini Intelligence are Rambler and Create My Widget. Rambler is an upgraded speech-to-text experience for Pixel devices. It understands more natural speech patterns, including pauses, corrections, and filler words like ‘umms’ and ‘ahhs,’ and formats them correctly while transcribing. It also supports multilingual input, meaning you can switch between languages naturally while speaking.
The other feature, and probably my favorite, is AI-powered widget creation. With Gemini Intelligence, you’ll be able to create custom widgets just by describing what you want. Gemini can pull information from other Google apps and generate widgets tailored to your needs.
For example, you could create a widget showing multiple world clocks at once or one that tracks your daily calorie intake. These widgets will also sync across other Google devices, including Wear OS watches and Googlebooks later this year.
Quick Share to AirDrop support is coming to more devices
Late last year, Google added support for sharing files between Android’s Quick Share and Apple‘s AirDrop on the Pixel 10 series, and later expanded it to the Pixel 9 lineup earlier this year. Samsung also introduced the feature on the Galaxy S26 series and recently expanded it to the Galaxy S25 lineup and some older devices.
Now, even more Android phones will support the feature. Google says devices from partners like Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, Xiaomi, and Honor will also gain support for Quick Share to AirDrop transfers. And for devices that don’t support native sharing, Google says users will still be able to generate a QR code to transfer files through the cloud to iPhones.
Google is also improving the process for switching from iPhone to Android. The company says more complex data, including saved passwords and even your home screen layout, will now carry over when moving from an iPhone to an Android phone — something that was previously missing.
We’ve all been there, picking up the phone to do something quickly and then ending up scrolling Instagram or TikTok for far longer than intended. 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 first show a short 10-second pause screen before letting you continue. During that time, it can suggest things like breathing exercises, setting a timer for the app, looking at favorite photos, or even switching to something less distracting, like an audiobook app.
Google says this approach works better than traditional app timers because those are easy 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 be turned off.
Android is finally getting redesigned 3D emojis
Probably the smallest, yet somehow one of the biggest, announcements during today’s Android Show keynote was that Android is finally getting redesigned 3D emojis. For years, people have complained that Android emojis look too flat and uninspiring, especially compared to the ones on iPhones, and Google is finally changing that.
Google still hasn’t shown the full redesigned emoji set yet, only teasing a few examples so far, but the company says the new 3D emojis will start rolling out to Pixel devices later this year.
Android 17 adds stronger protections against scams and frauds
Google already claims that Android blocks more scams and frauds than the iPhone, and with Android 17, the company is pushing those protections even further. Google says it’s partnering with select banks and financial institutions for new anti-spoofing call protection.
Basically, if you receive 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 detects something suspicious, it can immediately flag and cut 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 misuse of accessibility overlays.
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 it detects anything harmful.
Find Hub is also gaining a useful new security feature with an upgraded “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 protection, preventing someone from unlocking the device even if they somehow know the passcode.
Android will also hide Quick Settings while the device is locked, stopping thieves from disabling Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which can be crucial when you’re trying to track a lost phone.
But that’s not all…
Overall, Google is preparing a pretty major Android 17 update for later this year. We expect most of these features to arrive around the Pixel 11 launch window in August or September, or possibly through a later Android 17 QPR release.
And these weren’t the only announcements either. Google also showed off new Gemini integrations coming to Chrome on Android, along with several creator-focused improvements.
That said, probably the most interesting announcement from the keynote was Google’s new Googlebook laptop lineup, which looks like the company’s next big step beyond Chromebooks and toward a more Gemini-focused computing experience.
