Android 17 gets Handoff function for cross-device continuity
Android 17 is getting a so-called Handoff function, with which developers can integrate "cross-device continuity" into their apps.
Android 17 is initially expected for Pixel devices in June 2026.
(Image: Google)
Google released the first beta of Android 17 last Friday. In doing so, the company mentioned developer-centric innovations in particular. The corporation did not mention the new feature for cross-device continuity called Handoff.
Handoff between Android devices
Google is now mentioning the new feature in the documentation for Android 17 under the heading "Features and APIs", which is still quite concise. According to Google, app developers can integrate the feature into their applications to offer users "cross-device continuity". This allows users to start an app activity on one Android device and transfer it to another Android device.
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Unlike Apple's or Microsoft's solutions, Google's is thus limited to one operating system. For the upcoming Android PCs with Aluminium OS, the feature – or between smartphone and tablet – could be quite practical. Apple, meanwhile, enables Handoff for some apps within its own ecosystem between iPhones, Macs, and iPads. Microsoft has expanded the Handoff function between some Android apps and Windows with the February patch day updates.
As Google further explains, the Handoff function runs in the background on a user's device. It displays available activities from the user's other nearby devices through various entry points such as the launcher and the taskbar on the receiving device.
Apps can specify the handover function so that the same native Android app is launched if it is installed and available on the receiving device, it continues. "In this app-to-app flow, the user is redirected to the corresponding activity via deeplink," Google describes the process. Alternatively, app handover to the web can be offered as a fallback option or implemented directly with URL handover. In Beta 1, there are no indications of the Handoff function yet.
In the documentation, Google provides brief information on integrating Handoff into apps: "Handoff support is implemented based on individual activities." To enable Handoff, developers must call the method setHandoffEnabled() for the activity. "Additional data may need to be transmitted along with the handover so that the newly created activity on the receiving device can restore the corresponding state. Implement the onHandoffActivityRequested() callback to return a HandoffActivityData object that contains details indicating how Handoff should handle and recreate the activity on the receiving device."
What else?
In addition to Handoff, Google names optimizations in the area of connectivity as another new Android 17 feature, "so that apps can also function effectively in low-bandwidth satellite networks." Google does not go into further detail on the innovation.
Furthermore, Google is apparently expanding the "Extended Security Mode for Android" (Android Advanced Protection Mode, AAPM) integrated into the system with Android 162025-06-06|18:23 Android 16: Beta gewährt Blick auf Googles erweitertes Sicherheitsprogramm, to include an interface for app developers to detect the status of the mode. "This allows applications to automatically adopt an enhanced security configuration or restrict risky functions if a user has opted in," Google writes.
(afl)
