Android 17 Beta 4: Last test version before final release

About three weeks after Android 17 Beta 3, Google is releasing Beta 4. According to the developers, this is the last planned beta version; patches and bug fixes may still appear in the coming weeks. In addition to a few new features, the new beta contains a long list of bug fixes – and the Easter Egg.

“You are up to date”

After Beta 3, which brought a lot of new user-facing features, such as app bubbles, the innovations in Beta 4 are manageable. Only the new message after removing all notifications, which was already seen in the April version of Android Canary: “You are up to date,” accompanied by a trophy, is new. The new display is based on Wear OS 6, for example, on the Pixel Watch, so it appears more uniform across the ecosystem.

In addition, the latest beta includes the traditional Android Easter Egg: Go to “About phone” settings, tap on the Android version number, and then tap the Android version again three times quickly to bring up the Easter Egg. Here, you fill the circle completely with your finger and then press and hold the resulting Android 17 logo. Now the small space game, integrated for several Android generations, appears, in which you maneuver a small spaceship through space.

Memory limits for Apps

Important for developers: With Android 17 Beta 4, Google is introducing memory limits for apps “based on the device's total RAM to create a more stable and deterministic environment for your applications and Android users,” Google writes. In the new Android version, the limits are set conservatively to establish system baselines. “Targeting extreme memory leaks and other outliers before they trigger system-wide instability resulting in UI stuttering, higher battery drain, and apps being killed,” the company further explains.

Google recommends that developers follow best practices for memory management and fix memory leaks. To help developers find memory leaks, Android Studio Panda offers “LeakCanary integration” directly in the Android Studio Profiler as a dedicated task.

Furthermore, the Android Keystore now supports ML-DSA (Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm) developed according to the NIST standard. On supported devices, developers can generate ML-DSA keys and use them to create quantum-secure signatures. Google announced protection against quantum computer attacks for Android 17 at the end of March.

Google has documented bug fixes in the Android 17 beta in an extensive Reddit post. Among other things, Google is fixing a problem that caused the charging speed of devices to decrease significantly once the 80 percent battery charge mark was reached. This bug is also present in Android 16 QPR3.

The adventurous and developers can install the beta on compatible Pixel devices. These include all models from the Pixel 6 onwards, as well as the Pixel Tablet and Google's foldables. To receive the beta, users must register their device in the Android Beta Program, after which the software will be offered as an over-the-air update.

Google is likely to reveal further innovations of Android 17 at the I/O 2026 developer conference, which will take place on May 19 and 20. It is certain that Google will give its mobile operating system agentic capabilities, which are intended to take over multi-step tasks for users. The head of the Android ecosystem, Sameer Samat, said: “We are moving away from an operating system towards an intelligent system, a platform that truly understands you and works for you.” The final version of Android 17, initially for Pixel devices, is expected in June.

(afl)