GoKawiilShimul Sood / Android Authority
Ever since the Android 17 beta started rolling out, I’ve been really excited to try out all the new features. Fortunately, I was able to install it on my Google Pixel 10a, and over the past month, I’ve spent quite a bit of time exploring what it can do. Out of everything I’ve tried so far, app bubbles is the one I keep coming back to almost every day.
Using a slab phone does come with its own limitations. Don’t get me wrong, I really like my cute little Pixel 10a, but a smaller screen naturally means there’s less room for multitasking. Thankfully, app bubbles solves that exact problem, making everything feel more fluid and easier to manage.
And the good part is, this is no longer just a beta feature. It is now rolling out to all Android users with the stable Android 17 release. Here is a quick guide to using it on your phone.
Do you like Android 17's app bubbles feature? 15 votes Love it, I use it every day. 27 % It's fine, but not for me. 27 % Haven't tried it yet. 33 % Still waiting for the update to reach me. 13 %
How to create app bubbles
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Creating app bubbles on your Pixel couldn’t be much simpler. You don’t need to jump through any complicated setup — just make sure you’ve installed the stable Android 17 update, and you’re already halfway there. Once that’s done, follow these steps: Open the app drawer on your Pixel. Now, long-press the app you want to turn into a bubble. From the pop-up menu that appears, tap the Bubble option. The app will instantly switch into a compact bubble-style view. Repeat the same steps for any other apps you want to convert into bubbles. As you keep doing this, the system will automatically group these apps into your first bubble set. If that doesn’t happen, just tap the + (plus) icon in the app bubbles panel at the top and manually add the available app bubbles from your home screen. One important thing to keep in mind: you can only have up to five app bubbles at a time. If you try adding more, the new one will simply replace an existing bubble to maintain that limit.
And that’s really all you need to get started with app bubbles on your Pixel. The actual setup process couldn’t be simpler, but if you need a few tips on what to actually do with app bubbles, I have a few suggestions.
How I’ve been using Android 17’s app bubbles
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