Google announces Android 17 Beta 1, officially signaling the death of Developer Previews [UPDATE]

Following Android 16’s expedited release timeline, Google today, out of nowhere, announced that it was dropping the first Android 17 beta. For reference, Android 16’s first beta dropped on January 23 last year. Although a little later than last year, Android 17’s beta arrives in the same general Q1 timeframe, indicating that Google intends to proceed with its new Android release schedule.

This also means that Developer Previews are now officially dead. For years now, we’ve expected Google to first release Developer Previews, followed by beta versions of its new operating systems. That era is now officially over, and it is being replaced with a continuous Canary channel.

According to the tech giant, the ‘always-on’ approach ensures:

• Less waiting for new features: Features and APIs land in Canary as soon as they pass internal testing, rather than waiting for a quarterly release.
• Battle-Tested APIs: By the time a new feature hits beta, it has already been properly tested, resulting in a more polished beta experience with features “that are closer to being final.”
• OTA updates: No more manual flashing and wiping your device every few months. Updates will be delivered OTA.

Platform Stability in March, stable sometime after

For users looking to try out an almost-stable experience, Google has revealed that it aims to achieve Android 16 Platform Stability sometime in March 2026, with the final stable release to come soon after.

An exact release timeline for Android 17’s stable launch has not been decided yet. Considering that Android 17 is following a release timeline that’s very similar to Android 16, we’d expect stable to come knocking around June (or potentially sooner).

The new beta brings under-the-hood performance improvements, professional-grade media and camera enhancements with dynamic camera sessions, Versatile Video Coding (H.266) support, and even a loudness management control to standardize audio levels across the system.

Note: Users currently enrolled in the Android Beta Program, you guys have a decision to make. If you want to beta test Android 17, do nothing. If you want to move to the Android 16 QPR3 stable build without wiping your phone, leave the beta program now and wait for the Android 16 QPR3 stable build to roll out in the coming weeks.

If you’re not enrolled in the Android Beta Program, but would like to try out Android 17, enroll your new device here. Eligible devices include: