GoKawiilis a news editor with over a decade’s experience in journalism. He previously worked at Android Police and Tech Advisor.
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Would it shock you to hear that Android 17 is filled with new AI-enabled features, like improved dictation and vibe-coded widgets? Fortunately, that’s not all. The platform is getting non-AI updates too, from an emoji overhaul to a new screentime tool that helps you avoid distracting apps.
Google has just revealed the biggest changes coming in its next OS update as part of its dedicated Android Show, ahead of next week’s big I/O developer conference. The Android software updates came alongside a tease of upcoming Android-powered Googlebook laptops and a host of Android Auto updates. Here are all the new updates that matter and when you can expect them to arrive on your phone.
All-new emoji
Google has overhauled Android’s emoji set — all 4,000 of them. The new emoji are a little more three-dimensional, with depth and detail lacking in the cartoonish versions they’re replacing.
The new emoji will arrive on Pixel phones first, later this year.
Pause Point
This is Google’s latest attempt to inject a little extra digital well-being into the Android experience. Once you label certain apps as “distracting,” Pause Point will pop up anytime you try to open one. It won’t stop you using the app, but it will make you wait through a 10-second timer, with prompts to try breathing exercises or open a more productive app instead — the idea being that it’ll give you a moment to realize you don’t really need to doomscroll Bluesky right now after all.
It also lets you set a timer for how long you want to use the app each session, and it has just enough friction to stop you swiping the timer away: It’ll take a full phone restart to turn Pause Point off.
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