Hi Reddit! Today, Google is beginning the rollout of Android 17 QPR2, our second Quarterly Platform Release building on Android 17 and Android 17 QPR1. Through Quarterly Platform Releases (QPRs), Google continues to update the Android platform on a quarterly cadence with new capabilities, developer APIs, and quality-of-life refinements. Android 17 QPR2 is rolling out first to supported Pixel devices alongside the November Pixel Drop. Because many of these new additions and APIs are part of the core Android platform, you may also see them in future updates from our Android partners — check with your device manufacturer for details on their update schedule. Since we’ve been testing these changes with many of you across Beta and Canary builds over the past few months, a lot of this won’t be brand new if you’ve been following along closely. Even so, we wanted to put together a comprehensive recap of what’s new in Android 17 QPR2 for everyday users and developers. Let’s dive in! 🎨 Deeper color customization, improved support for blur effects, and UI polish Expanded color theming & adaptive wallpapers Under Wallpaper & style > Colors, you now have more granular control over color customization. Tapping the color palette icon in the top-right corner of the color picker opens a "Select a color" rainbow hue slider to pick a custom hue, while tapping the pencil icon overlaid on your selected swatch lets you choose between four color intensity styles: Neutral, Soft, Bright, and Bold. https://preview.redd.it/qkjnkevi4u0i1.png?width=1838&format=png&auto=webp&s=1f12075af41dd4d05394fae08cb3a5954212e23b https://preview.redd.it/9vr9hbvi4u0i1.png?width=1838&format=png&auto=webp&s=eb673293212148e5dcc8f955f76f198338f81fc5 While browsing palettes on the Home screen preview, you can also tap directly on the preview card to pause automatic cycling so it’s easier to compare how a specific page looks across swatches. Additionally, Android 17 QPR2 adds platform support for light and dark mode adaptive wallpapers, allowing compatible wallpaper collections to automatically switch between light and dark appearances with your system theme. New developer APIs to support backdrop blur & frosted glass effects in apps Android 17 QPR2 (API level 37.2) introduces new APIs for developers to implement fun backdrop blurring and frosted glass effects in their apps, starting with RenderNode.setBackdropRenderEffect(). Under the hood, Android and Jetpack Compose use RenderNodes — hardware-accelerated containers that compactly store drawing commands and visual properties (like 3D translations, rotations, alpha, and bounds). With setBackdropRenderEffect(), a RenderNode can now automatically sample and blur whatever content sits underneath it, making it easy to create delightful backdrop blur and frosted glass UIs. Developers can also use a progressive BlurRadiusSpec to apply a vertical gradient blur (varying the blur intensity across different parts of a container), or chain multiple RenderEffects together. At the Android Dev Summit, the graphics team showed how chaining blur, saturation, and shaders can turn a "Jump to bottom" chat button into a magnifying glass, a kaleidoscope, or a morphing Android mascot. (Developers: A built-in Compose backdrop blur modifier and backport are in the works too!) https://preview.redd.it/5b087hvi4u0i1.png?width=1603&format=png&auto=webp&s=4708b627c033554a2a721470508e5456c4026d09 For video players, Android 17 QPR2 introduces SurfaceView.setBlurRegions(). Many media apps render video using a SurfaceView, which isn't part of the app's View RenderNode tree and instead punches a hole through the window — making it previously impossible to sample and blur until this release. Now, apps can declare specific blur regions directly on a SurfaceView to blur areas behind video player controls when they show and hide, giving app developers new tools to implement the kinds of blur and backdrop effects that their users have been asking for. Other UI & customization improvements Refreshed lock screen widget editing UI: Highlighting a widget in lock screen editing mode now brings up a bottom action bar with dedicated arrow keys to move the widget up and down, a quick Remove button to delete it, and a Settings button to jump straight into that widget’s configuration (where supported). (Note: Lock screen widgets are still in beta and must be enabled under Settings > Display & touch > Lock screen > Widgets on lock screen.) Further home screen context menu polishing: Long-pressing on an empty area of the home screen reveals a more polished popup context menu. The menu icons are now bolder, plus the recent wallpaper carousel has shifted above the "Wallpaper & style" label rather than sitting below it, grouping "Wallpaper & style", "Widgets", "Apps list", and "Home settings" neatly together in a contiguous list. Power menu fullscreen blur fix: Fixes a visual bug where the system power menu background blur cut off early near the navigation bar; the blur now stretches edge-to-edge across the screen. 🔔 New status bar, notification, and Quick Settings controls Status bar icon settings A new Status bar page — accessible from Settings > Notifications > Status bar and Settings > System > Status bar — gives you some control over what appears in the status bar at the top of your screen. https://preview.redd.it/sdnmbevi4u0i1.png?width=1343&format=png&auto=webp&s=a7fd9aaf156172101caf2a01fd575e8f19fb0326 Under Notification icons, you can choose to show All ("Show all notification icons", filling available empty space in the status bar), Priority only ("Show priority notifications only"), or None ("Show no notification icons"). Under System icons, you can individually toggle indicators for Battery percentage ("Show battery level"), Mute ("Show when device is muted"), and Vibrate ("Show when device is set to vibrate"). Override app-forced screen brightness from Quick Settings Previously, when an open app forced a specific window brightness — such as maxing out your display at 100% brightness to show a boarding pass, barcode, or QR code — trying to dim your screen using the brightness slider in Quick Settings was blocked with a "Can’t adjust brightness because it's being controlled by the top app" message. Android 17 QPR2 unlocks the Quick Settings brightness slider during app brightness overrides so you can manually adjust the brightness to your preferred level; once you leave that app or return home, normal brightness behavior automatically resumes. Other notification & Quick Settings improvements Live Update notifications & status bar chips for print jobs: Android’s built-in Print Spooler now uses Live Updates for active print jobs, letting you track real-time page progress from a glanceable status bar chip and expand the Live Update card on your lock screen or notification shade to check printer status, view errors, or cancel a print job in one tap. Updated Keyboard switcher dialog: Tapping the Keyboard tile in Quick Settings now opens a centered dialog that’s easier to reach. Fix for Always-On Display (AOD) Live Update notification icons: Refactors how AOD notification icons detect monochrome shapes, fixing an issue where dual-tone black-and-white icons in Live Updates (such as transit line or agency logos in Google Maps navigation) were mistakenly rendered as solid white circles on the AOD. 🎧 Updates to Bluetooth audio & connectivity Expanded Auracast & Bluetooth LE Audio capabilities Android 17 QPR2 introduces a new "Voice broadcast" feature (in preview) that lets you broadcast your voice from your phone's microphone (or a connected wired headset mic) to nearby listeners over Auracast. Nearby listeners can tune in using Auracast-compatible headphones,hearing devices or another compatible Android phone to tune in. You can quickly enable voice broadcast right from the Quick Settings panel. Before starting a voice broadcast, you have the option to edit the broadcast name or enable a "private channel" to protect the broadcast behind a configurable password. https://preview.redd.it/6x1xtgvi4u0i1.png?width=1258&format=png&auto=webp&s=de533c2f3d8cb4ed8c8a9ebf3e8ee53fc66022b4 Furthermore, users can connect to public Auracast streams effortlessly via a QR Code scanner and NFC “tap-to-join” technology. The Android 17 QPR2 update also adds a new Quick Settings tile “Audio streams” and proactive heads-up notifications when you unlock your phone near a public broadcast with a paired Auracast-compatible device. Additionally, it introduces dynamic program metadata updates when broadcasting media so listeners see real-time track or stream title changes. Once connected, users can leverage their compatible Android devices as intelligent receivers. By using real-time on-device intelligence, the phone can apply Live Caption and Translation directly on-screen—whether you are listening through a paired Auracast-compatible headset or following along completely headset-free. Other audio, sharing, & network improvements Fix for sudden Bluetooth volume spikes when triggering assistants: Fixes a bug where certain actions (e.g. invoking Gemini or switching between audio types) could cause sudden maximum-volume spikes or leave media audio stuck loud afterward. When switching between audio streams on Bluetooth devices using Absolute Volume, Android now smoothly ramps volume up instead of jumping abruptly and drops stray external volume commands sent mid-transition while audio routing modes are changing. Automatic encrypted DNS discovery & Private DNS reliability fixes: Enables Discovery of Designated Resolvers (DDR) so devices can automatically detect and upgrade to encrypted DNS servers (DNS-over-HTTPS / DNS-over-TLS) advertised by local networks, and resolves an issue where "Private DNS server cannot be reached" alerts could remain stuck in the notification shade after network routing changes. More discoverable "All apps" list in the system Share sheet: Tweaks the initial vertical scroll offset when opening the Share sheet so the top of the alphabetical "all apps" grid peeks up from the bottom of the screen by roughly a third of a row — making it clearer at a glance that you can swipe up past suggested targets. 📱 Improvements to multitasking and the Linux Terminal Foldable window app handle & improvements to app bubbles Android 17 QPR2 improves multitasking on foldables by bringing an app handle to the top of app windows. You can drag or tap this handle to seamlessly transition a full-screen app into split-screen mode, expand a split-screen or bubbled app back to full screen, or drag the handle to reposition floating bubbles. https://reddit.com/link/1xswmv0/video/o6d9di9p4u0i1/player Additionally, app bubbles gain a new "Move to fullscreen" shortcut when you tap Manage on an open bubble, allowing phone users to transition bubbled apps into full screen windows. Finally, opening a bubbled app normally from the launcher also automatically dismisses its bubble and transitions it to full-screen view. Linux Terminal app: Guest-to-host VM file sharing & configurable link handling Previously, the Linux Terminal app only shared files in the host-to-guest direction (mounting Android’s storage directories at /mnt/shared inside the virtual machine), meaning you had to manually move Linux files into /mnt/shared before Android apps could access them. Android 17 QPR2 enables guest-to-host file sharing, exposing the running Linux VM’s home directory directly inside Android’s system file viewer (DocumentsUI) under a dedicated Linux VM section — letting you browse, open, edit, create folders, copy, move, rename, delete, and search files in your Linux environment right from Android whenever the VM is open. You can also now configure how web links clicked inside the Linux VM are handled: either auto-forward web URLs from the VM to your host Android browser, or open links inside a VM browser (if one is installed). Other multitasking, productivity, & capture enhancements Support for a new "Look Up" action in text selection & right-click menus: When selecting text or right-clicking a word across standard Android Views, Jetpack Compose apps, and browsers like Chrome, a new "Look Up" action may appear if a compatible handler of ACTION_LOOK_UP_TEXT is installed. Screen recorder enhancements: Opening the system Screen recorder once again defaults to recording the Entire screen rather than "A single app", giving you immediate access to Screen Reactions without switching modes first. The Screen Reactions feature has also been updated to include an updated background color icon whose picker expands inline without hiding the rest of the toolbar, alongside a dedicated button on the left to remove the background in one tap. Redesigned USB Webcam UI: The USB webcam UI has been refreshed to place the High Quality (HD) toggle directly beside larger, easier-to-tap zoom preset buttons, and the front/rear camera switcher button matches the size and styling of the other controls. 🛡️ New security & privacy controls Private Compute Core (PCC) transparency logs Private Compute Core (PCC) processes data in a private, dedicated space on your device, keeping you in control of what gets shared. It powers various on-device machine learning features without sharing continuous sensing data with service providers or other apps. With Android 17 QPR2, you can now enable data logging for Private Compute Core, allowing you to review the data you allowed to leave this space to power AI features. Under Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy dashboard > Private Compute Core, you can toggle "use data logging" on or off and choose between two logging tiers: Limited: Logs a data summary for up to 72 hours. Recommended for reviewing essential details. Detailed: Logs detailed raw data for up to 12 hours. (Note: Detailed logging captures exhaustive raw data which may include sensitive information.) https://preview.redd.it/yptr4gvi4u0i1.png?width=1343&format=png&auto=webp&s=79385aa5d5d11674d423ece362e0d299a1fa1a50 New “manage contacts” special app access permission To improve privacy, the next Android release changes how apps can write contacts. Currently, many apps that need to save even one contact request the broad “write contacts” runtime permission. Once granted, an app can make widespread changes to contacts across the device in the background, even without user interaction. Apps that target the upcoming Android release will no longer be able to directly write to contacts with this broad “write contacts” runtime permission. For the small set of apps which require broad access to create and modify contacts, a new special app access permission called “manage contacts” has been added in Android 17 QPR2. This is intended for apps like contact managers, dialers, and spam blockers. Other apps are encouraged to leverage the upcoming standardized contact editor experience. For more details on this change, read this Android Developers blog post. Expanded in-call scam protections To further protect users from phone scams, Android 17 QPR2 expands its in-call security protections. While you’re in a phone call with an unknown contact, Android will now block you from enabling Developer options. Android will warn you that this action is blocked as scammers often request this type of action during phone call conversations. (If Developer options have already been enabled prior to the call, they won't be retroactively disabled). This joins Android's existing set of high-risk actions blocked during calls with unknown contacts to guard against social engineering, which include enabling a non-accessibility tool's accessibility service, granting an app the sideloading permission, and disabling Google Play Protect. Hardening against call forwarding fraud Scammers sometimes try to hijack your incoming calls by redirecting them to another number — either through malicious apps that silently run carrier call-forwarding codes (USSD codes like *21*) in the background, or by tricking you into dialing one of those codes yourself. To protect users from these scams, Android 17 QPR2 blocks standard apps from automatically running call-forwarding codes in the background using basic phone permissions, while leaving other carrier codes (such as account checks and mobile money transfers) unaffected. And to guard against social engineering scams, dialing a call-forwarding code in your Phone app now brings up a system confirmation dialog before the command goes through, ensuring call forwarding can't be turned on without your confirmation. Mobile network security: SIM security timeline & active cipher information Android 17 QPR2 updates the mobile network security page (first introduced in Android 16) with persistent threat logging and active connection encryption details: SIM security timeline: The new "SIM security timeline" keeps a persistent, timestamped log of cellular modem-detected security events — such as IMEI Recorded or IMSI Recorded entries. If you use multiple active SIMs, you can filter the timeline by SIM card to see which line was impacted. Active carrier cipher details: Tapping your active carrier entry opens a "[Carrier] security information" screen showing encryption and integrity verification details for your current SIM connection. New “install apps” flow In previous releases, attempting to install an app from a browser, file manager, or other non-app store source you haven’t granted the “install apps” permission to would direct you to Settings to enable the permission. Android 17 QPR2 streamlines this flow by allowing users to grant the “install apps” permission from a new system dialog that appears when attempting to install an app through a source that hasn’t been granted this permission yet. This dialog provides three options: Only this time: Grants the app temporary access to the “install apps” permission for the current app installation session and automatically revokes it once installation completes. Always allow: Grants the “install apps” permission to the requesting app so the user can install apps from that source without further prompts. This permission can be later revoked under Settings > Apps > Special app access > Install apps. Don't allow: Denies permission and dismisses the dialog. Other security & privacy enhancements MANAGE_ASSISTANT_AUDIO special app access permission: Previously, MANAGE_ASSISTANT_AUDIO — which lets digital assistants manage assistant audio routing, audio mode changes, and dedicated assistant stream volume during conversations — was restricted to the single app holding the device’s default ASSISTANT role. Android 17 QPR2 converts it into a user-controllable Special app access permission in Settings (while still auto-granting it to the default assistant and eligible pre-installed assistants), so you can grant or revoke conversational audio and volume control for additional assistant apps. Platform support for phone to watch unlock: Complementing Watch Unlock (which lets your smartwatch unlock your phone), Android 17 QPR2 adds platform support for phone to watch unlock, enabling support for automatically unlocking your paired watch on your wrist whenever you unlock your nearby phone. 🧘 Accessibility & quality-of-life improvements Accessibility upgrades for Color Correction & Hearing Devices Redesigned color correction page & upgraded daltonizer algorithm: Under Settings > Accessibility > Color and motion > Color correction, the preview at the top replaces color bands with a real-world photo, a Google Maps snippet, and sample text, alongside a descriptive subtitle on the main toggle and updated color-vision mode names. Under the hood, Android 17 QPR2 also brings an upgraded daltonizer color-correction algorithm — fixing a matrix calculation issue in Android’s red-green (Protanomaly / Protanopia) filter that caused reds to look overly brown or washed-out gray. https://preview.redd.it/emzo2gvi4u0i1.png?width=1044&format=png&auto=webp&s=a784cd1d35a74fc660a1da4750cbfc4c67faa1b6 Quick lock screen & notification shade controls for hearing devices: Connecting compatible Bluetooth hearing aids or hearing devices now surfaces a persistent control notification on the lock screen and in the notification shade (alongside battery status in a status bar chip), letting you check connection and battery levels at a glance and switch listening presets or adjust ambient volume with a single tap instead of unlocking and opening Settings > Accessibility > Hearing devices. Other quality-of-life & developer updates Keyboard vibration slider: Under Settings > Sound & vibration > Vibration & haptics, users can adjust haptic intensity across Gboard and supported virtual keyboards via the keyboard vibration slider. "Home time zone" setting: Under Settings > System > Date & time, you can now configure a home time zone for when you travel, allowing you to select a region and time zone or pick from suggested zones. System apps can retrieve this user-configured zone via the new getHomeTimeZone API. 🪲 Bug fixes & security patches Please refer to the Android Security Bulletin for details on the security vulnerabilities addressed with this platform release. ---- To learn more about the new developer APIs and platform behaviors arriving in Android 17 QPR2 (API 37.2), check out developer.android.com. You should look forward to more updates to Android 17 next year, with the beta program offering a peek at what's coming with the third quarterly release in Q1. As always, thank you to everyone who tested our Beta and Canary builds and reported bugs along the way — please continue to share your feedback about these Android releases to help us identify and fix issues, and make the platform even better!   submitted by   /u/MishaalRahman [link]   [comments]