New features, emojis, & security improvements: Here’s everything new coming to Android!

Hi Reddit,

We just wrapped up The Android Show | I/O Edition, and a core theme of the show was how we’re making your phone more helpful so that you can spend less time looking at it and more time living your life. To make this happen, we're elevating the core Android experience, giving you new ways to share across platforms, express yourself, manage your screen time, and secure your sensitive data.

Here’s the breakdown:

# 🤝 How Android is making it easier to share, switch, and connect securely

Picture this: you've just made a bunch of new friends at a concert, and before you part ways, you want to quickly share the photos you took together. But sharing gets hard when not everybody has the same phone as you. That’s why we're introducing new ways to stay connected regardless of what device you or your friends use:

* **Share with anyone, on any device:** To make sharing easier across platforms, we made Quick Share compatible with AirDrop for supported Android phones starting with Pixel, and we’re continuing our expansion to more partners including Samsung, OPPO, OnePlus, Vivo, Xiaomi, and HONOR this year.
* For devices without hardware support, you can generate a QR code using Quick Share on any Android phone, letting you instantly share with iOS devices via the cloud.
* Alternatively, if you use WhatsApp, Quick Share will soon be integrated so you can share instantly across platforms, no need to upload to the cloud.
* **Switch to Android with ease:** We worked with Apple to overhaul the iOS-to-Android transfer process. Your passwords, photos, messages, favorite apps, contacts, eSIM, and even your homescreen layout can migrate wirelessly from your iPhone to your new Android device. This upgraded switching process will launch first on Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel devices this year.

https://preview.redd.it/b29przziqq0h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=9d00eaf49aedd834f276f646ca48edf5ba1f5990

* **Connect more securely:** With 2.5 billion RCS messages sent daily, secure communication is more important than ever. To keep your chats safe, we’re [officially rolling out](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/platforms/android/android-ios-end-to-end-encrypted-rcs-messaging/) end-to-end encryption for RCS across both Android and iOS.

# 📸 More ways to create and share with Android

Android phones consistently have the best cameras, but capturing a great photo is only half the task. We believe that world-class devices should deliver world-class experiences that extend from the initial snap to editing and posting. That's why with Android 17, we're introducing deeper social media integrations and new editing tools:

* **Enjoy a more vibrant Instagram experience:** We’ve teamed up with Meta to bring the best of Instagram to the most advanced Android devices. We've also completely optimized the capture-to-upload pipeline. Your photos and videos remain stunningly sharp when you hit "post" and your Reels and Stories load the second you tap them. This update also includes:
* **Ultra HDR capture and playback:** See lifelike vibrancy with colors that pop.
* **Built-in video stabilization:** Smooth video for when you’re walking, dancing, or just really caffeinated.
* **Night sight integrations:** Get the perfect shot even in the dimmest of settings.

https://reddit.com/link/1tb8dxv/video/8kdncs5qqq0h1/player

* Also, *Instagram is now fully optimized for Android tablets*, making the most of their larger screens.

https://preview.redd.it/qy6pgsziqq0h1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7ce5a157e8adb94ba4a327a1b43e333a3c40574

* **Refine faster with the Edits app:** Exclusively on Android, Instagram's Edits app is getting new tools to turn raw footage into polished content in seconds. These include:
* **Smart enhance**: With a single tap, you can instantly improve the quality of all your old photos and videos with upscaling.
* **Sound separation**: Instead of doing another retake, you can use sound separation