Google releases Android 17 with parental controls, AI enhancements and LHDC audio codec

Google officially launched Android 17 in mid‑June 2026, initially on Pixel devices and set to roll out to other manufacturers later in the year. The update introduces built‑in parental controls that let parents set screen‑time limits, app restrictions and PIN protection directly in system settings. New multitasking features include up to five floating “Bubbles” windows and an integrated screen‑recording tool with a selfie‑camera overlay. Privacy improvements add temporary location permissions, selective contact sharing and stronger remote‑lock controls for lost devices. AI is expanded through deeper Gemini integration, delivering proactive assistance on supported phones. A native LHDC v5 Bluetooth audio codec is now available for high‑resolution sound, hidden in Developer Options and compatible with select headphones such as the Nothing Ear 2 and OnePlus Buds 4. Early adopters reported issues like Wi‑Fi app failures tied to IPv6, loss of 5G on some models, touchscreen glitches and various system crashes. Google addressed many of these problems in the Android 17 QPR1 Beta 5 update, which re‑enables Pixel 6/6 Pro support and fixes ten listed bugs, including game‑dashboard crashes, camera freezes, download‑manager timeouts and WebView rendering regressions.