Here’s Why There is No Android 17 Developer Preview

You may be wondering why Android 17 Beta is already here without several Android 17 Developer Preview builds before it? The reason is pretty simple.

In July of last year, Google introduced the Android Canary track as a way for developers to test out new features or to see what Google has planned for future releases. The Android Canary track was specifically designed for developers to explore the newest Android APIs, not for you and I to mess around with. This Android Canary track is replacing Developer Preview builds, since it’s basically a developer preview.

Google announced the change today alongside the first Android 17 Beta, saying that with features and APIs landing in Canary as soon as they pass internal testing, developers have even faster access to what’s coming. By utilizing Canary, this should also lead to more polished beta builds and easier testing.

So to recap, we aren’t getting an Android 17 Developer Preview because Google is using its new Android Canary track for developer preview purposes. Instead, you and I are getting earlier Android 17 Beta builds to play with that should be more battle tested and ready for public use.

This sounds like a big win to me. Sign-up for the Android Beta Program here.