I made an open-source Android launcher that an AI coding agent customizes for you
https://github.com/MedTahiri/ai-launcher-android

https://redd.it/1xnlv2s
@reddit_android

Gemini overlay no longer opens through long press of home button through third party apps.

I use a third-party navigation bar app on my Sony Xperia 1 V to swap the Back and Recents buttons. Its long-press Home action used to open Google Assistant. Since Gemini replaced Assistant, that long-press does nothing.



The app sends Android’s standard voice-command request (android.intent.action.VOICE_COMMAND). I checked with adb and the phone’s log: the Google app receives it and passes it to com.google.android.voicesearch.handsfree.HandsFreeActivity, which opens and closes without showing anything.



I also tried the other standard requests, each addressed to the Google app:



android.intent.action.ASSIST opens the Google app, not Gemini.

android.intent.action.VOICE_ASSIST opens Google voice search, not Gemini.

Long-pressing Home on the stock navigation bar does open the Gemini overlay, so Gemini itself works fine. It just can’t be reached from other apps any more.



I urge Google to lease make Gemini answer VOICE_COMMAND and ASSIST requests from apps with the Gemini overlay, the way Google Assistant did. Many button-remapping and accessibility apps depend on this, and some of them are no longer maintained, so they can’t adapt.



Device: Sony Xperia 1 V (XQ-DQ72), Android 15

Google app: 17.70.11

Gemini app: 1.0.995038376

Default digital assistant: Google (Gemini)

https://redd.it/1xnocn6
@reddit_android

How risky are unsupported Android phones in practice?

Millions of Android devices must be out of security support. I understand that unpatched vulnerabilities create opportunities for attackers, but what does that mean for the average user?

I'm asking partly because of my own situation: I have a Samsung Galaxy A13 running Android 14. Security updates have ended for it, so I'm a bit concerned.

I also really don't know much about phones but want to learn more as a matter of everyday knowledge, hence this post.

A few questions:

1. How do ordinary users actually get compromised? Phishing, malicious apps, compromised websites, or automated exploitation?
2. If unsupported phones are such a serious risk, why don't we see a much more obvious epidemic of compromised devices?
3. How significant is the additional risk of keeping my A13 for another 1–2 years?
4. Why aren't manufacturers legally required to provide security updates for a minimum period, like mandatory safety standards for cars?
5. Are newer regulations, such as those in the EU, likely to change this globally?

I'm not arguing that unsupported phones are risk-free. I want to understand the actual magnitude of the risk, both generally and in my particular case - acknowledging my relative ignorance :)

https://redd.it/1xmm10t
@reddit_android

Android's biggest advantage for me is customization. Being able to change launchers, default apps and other settings makes the experience much more flexible.

Y

https://redd.it/1xmfjzl
@reddit_android

I built Pickeed, an Android app for making group plans. Friends can join without an account.

Hey everyone, I’m the developer behind Pickeed. I built it for that moment when everyone in the group chat says “we should do something soon,” but nobody settles on a date.

With Pickeed, you can suggest dates, vote on ideas, and keep the final plan in one place. Friends can join from an invite link in their browser with just a first name. It’s free for private plans.

If you try it, I’d love feedback on one thing in particular: how easy is it to go from opening the app to sharing your first invite link? If you get stuck, I’d love to know where.

Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pickeed.app&pcampaignid=web\_share

https://redd.it/1xr9bdq
@reddit_android

Does anyone else still keep an old "dead" phone or broken gadget around just for spare parts or nostalgia?

I've got an old phone in my drawer that won't even power on anymore, but I still can't bring myself to throw it away. Do you guys keep old hardware lying around, or do you recycle/sell everything the second you upgrade?

https://redd.it/1xr7qpd
@reddit_android

RAWR camera app for VIVO X300 Ultra - this is how stock should work!

Some time ago i've posted my complainings about vivo stock camera. It delivers terrible photos, oversharpened with awfull colors and the worst thing is - even after updates it still not working like it should. 200 mpix photos randomly not saving, vivo is ignoring all problems. Thankfully someone made app dedicated for X300 Ultra, which delivers much better results than stock - just try this https://github.com/adityawarmanfw/rawr/releases/tag/v0.5.1

Developer is using X300U and use its full potential.

https://redd.it/1xr8l3r
@reddit_android

I made "Freehand Control", a free Android app to navigate your phone with hand gestures when your hands are dirty or busy (cooking/eating). Let me know what you think!

>Hey r/Android,
I spent months building Freehand Control, a free Android utility that lets you navigate your phone using natural hand gestures through the front camera. It turns your movements into a smooth virtual cursor for when your hands are busy or dirty (like cooking or eating).
Everything runs using on-device Edge AI, so no camera data ever leaves the device or gets stored. It uses the AccessibilityService API strictly to perform local clicks, scrolls, and swipes.
Since Reddit filters tend to automatically block links and video uploads from newer accounts, I couldn't attach the demo clip directly here.
If you are interested in seeing how smooth the 60 FPS tracking looks or want to test the Google Play link, let me know in the comments and I'll gladly share them! I would love to get your brutal technical feedback.

https://redd.it/1xqsl9d
@reddit_android

Permanently using an adapter with your phone can act as a "port saver" indefinitely extending the life of phone ports.
https://redd.it/1xr12i5
@reddit_android

OnePlus 16 smartphone review – A new-generation flagship phone with spectacular battery life
https://www.notebookcheck.net/OnePlus-16-smartphone-review-A-new-generation-flagship-phone-with-spectacular-battery-life.1445226.0.html

https://redd.it/1xrpint
@reddit_android

Snapseed tests finer quality and Exif controls for saving and batch editing images
https://www.androidauthority.com/snapseed-image-quality-save-settings-3732799/

https://redd.it/1xrvyo4
@reddit_android

Motorola Razr Flex 2027 surfaces on official company website
https://www.androidauthority.com/motorola-razr-flex-2027-support-page-video-leak-3732853/

https://redd.it/1xrvxnc
@reddit_android

Need 12 testers for Taxi App (Customer & Captain) – Will test back immediately!

Hello devs,

I need 12 testers for my Taxi application. I will test your apps back immediately and keep them installed for 14 days!



1. Join Google Group (Required):

https://groups.google.com/g/ako-tester



2. Customer App (تكسي اكو):

\- Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ako.myapp

\- Web: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/ako.myapp



3. Captain App (كابتن اكو):

\- Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=akocaptain.myapp

\- Web: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/akocaptain.myapp



Please drop your app links and screenshot in the comments, and I will test yours right away!

https://redd.it/1xsjsf4
@reddit_android

One UI 9.5 could allow recording Telegram and WhatsApp voice calls
https://www.sammobile.com/news/one-ui-9-5-record-calls-meet-telegram-whatsapp/

https://redd.it/1xsooal
@reddit_android

Exclusive: Galaxy S27, S27+, S27 Pro, S27 Ultra Camera Sensors Revealed
https://sammyguru.com/exclusive-galaxy-s27-series-camera-sensors/

https://redd.it/1xsom7a
@reddit_android

Gemini Intelligence is now available on more devices, including motorola signature 27 and Pixel 10
https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/platforms/android/gemini-intelligence-november-features-devices/

https://redd.it/1xsw24w
@reddit_android

Android 17 QPR2 is out, and here’s everything that’s new!

Hi Reddit!

Today, Google is beginning the rollout of Android 17 QPR2, our second Quarterly Platform Release building on Android 17 and Android 17 QPR1. Through Quarterly Platform Releases (QPRs), Google continues to update the Android platform on a quarterly cadence with new capabilities, developer APIs, and quality-of-life refinements.

Android 17 QPR2 is rolling out first to supported Pixel devices alongside the November Pixel Drop. Because many of these new additions and APIs are part of the core Android platform, you may also see them in future updates from our Android partners — check with your device manufacturer for details on their update schedule. 

Since we’ve been testing these changes with many of you across Beta and Canary builds over the past few months, a lot of this won’t be brand new if you’ve been following along closely. Even so, we wanted to put together a comprehensive recap of what’s new in Android 17 QPR2 for everyday users and developers. Let’s dive in!

# 🎨 Deeper color customization, improved support for blur effects, and UI polish

Expanded color theming & adaptive wallpapers

Under Wallpaper & style > Colors, you now have more granular control over color customization. Tapping the color palette icon in the top-right corner of the color picker opens a "Select a color" rainbow hue slider to pick a custom hue, while tapping the pencil icon overlaid on your selected swatch lets you choose between four color intensity styles: Neutral, Soft, Bright, and Bold.

https://preview.redd.it/qkjnkevi4u0i1.png?width=1838&format=png&auto=webp&s=1f12075af41dd4d05394fae08cb3a5954212e23b

https://preview.redd.it/9vr9hbvi4u0i1.png?width=1838&format=png&auto=webp&s=eb673293212148e5dcc8f955f76f198338f81fc5

While browsing palettes on the Home screen preview, you can also tap directly on the preview card to pause automatic cycling so it’s easier to compare how a specific page looks across swatches. 

Additionally, Android 17 QPR2 adds platform support for light and dark mode adaptive wallpapers, allowing compatible wallpaper collections to automatically switch between light and dark appearances with your system theme.

New developer APIs to support backdrop blur & frosted glass effects in apps

Android 17 QPR2 (API level 37.2) introduces new APIs for developers to implement fun backdrop blurring and frosted glass effects in their apps, starting with RenderNode.setBackdropRenderEffect(). Under the hood, Android and Jetpack Compose use RenderNodes — hardware-accelerated containers that compactly store drawing commands and visual properties (like 3D translations, rotations, alpha, and bounds). With setBackdropRenderEffect(), a RenderNode can now automatically sample and blur whatever content sits underneath it, making it easy to create delightful backdrop blur and frosted glass UIs. 

Developers can also use a progressive BlurRadiusSpec to apply a vertical gradient blur (varying the blur intensity across different parts of a container), or chain multiple RenderEffects together. At the Android Dev Summit, the graphics team showed how chaining blur, saturation, and shaders can turn a "Jump to bottom" chat button into a magnifying glass, a kaleidoscope, or a morphing Android mascot. (Developers: A built-in Compose backdrop blur modifier and backport are in the works too!)

https://preview.redd.it/5b087hvi4u0i1.png?width=1603&format=png&auto=webp&s=4708b627c033554a2a721470508e5456c4026d09

For video players, Android 17 QPR2 introduces SurfaceView.setBlurRegions(). Many media apps render video using a SurfaceView, which isn't part of the app's View RenderNode tree and instead

punches a hole through the window — making it previously impossible to sample and blur until this release. Now, apps can declare specific blur regions directly on a SurfaceView to blur areas behind video player controls when they show and hide, giving app developers new tools to implement the kinds of blur and backdrop effects that their users have been asking for.

Other UI & customization improvements

Refreshed lock screen widget editing UI: Highlighting a widget in lock screen editing mode now brings up a bottom action bar with dedicated arrow keys to move the widget up and down, a quick Remove button to delete it, and a Settings button to jump straight into that widget’s configuration (where supported). (Note: Lock screen widgets are still in beta and must be enabled under Settings > Display & touch > Lock screen > Widgets on lock screen.)
Further home screen context menu polishing: Long-pressing on an empty area of the home screen reveals a more polished popup context menu. The menu icons are now bolder, plus the recent wallpaper carousel has shifted above the "Wallpaper & style" label rather than sitting below it, grouping "Wallpaper & style", "Widgets", "Apps list", and "Home settings" neatly together in a contiguous list.
Power menu fullscreen blur fix: Fixes a visual bug where the system power menu background blur cut off early near the navigation bar; the blur now stretches edge-to-edge across the screen.

# 🔔 New status bar, notification, and Quick Settings controls

Status bar icon settings

A new Status bar page — accessible from Settings > Notifications > Status bar and Settings > System > Status bar — gives you some control over what appears in the status bar at the top of your screen.

https://preview.redd.it/sdnmbevi4u0i1.png?width=1343&format=png&auto=webp&s=a7fd9aaf156172101caf2a01fd575e8f19fb0326

Under Notification icons, you can choose to show All ("Show all notification icons", filling available empty space in the status bar), Priority only ("Show priority notifications only"), or None ("Show no notification icons"). Under System icons, you can individually toggle indicators for Battery percentage ("Show battery level"), Mute ("Show when device is muted"), and Vibrate ("Show when device is set to vibrate").

Override app-forced screen brightness from Quick Settings

Previously, when an open app forced a specific window brightness — such as maxing out your display at 100% brightness to show a boarding pass, barcode, or QR code — trying to dim your screen using the brightness slider in Quick Settings was blocked with a "Can’t adjust brightness because it's being controlled by the top app" message. 

Android 17 QPR2 unlocks the Quick Settings brightness slider during app brightness overrides so you can manually adjust the brightness to your preferred level; once you leave that app or return home, normal brightness behavior automatically resumes.

Other notification & Quick Settings improvements

Live Update notifications & status bar chips for print jobs: Android’s built-in Print Spooler now uses Live Updates for active print jobs, letting you track real-time page progress from a glanceable status bar chip and expand the Live Update card on your lock screen or notification shade to check printer status, view errors, or cancel a print job in one tap.
Updated Keyboard switcher dialog: Tapping the Keyboard tile in Quick Settings now opens a centered dialog that’s easier to reach.
Fix for Always-On Display (AOD) Live Update notification icons: Refactors how AOD notification icons detect monochrome shapes, fixing an issue where dual-tone black-and-white icons in Live Updates (such as transit line or agency logos in Google Maps navigation) were mistakenly rendered as solid white circles on the AOD.

# 🎧 Updates to Bluetooth audio & connectivity

Expanded Auracast & Bluetooth LE Audio capabilities

Android 17 QPR2 introduces a new "Voice broadcast" feature (in preview) that lets you

Android 17 QPR2 is out, and here’s everything that’s new!

Hi Reddit!

Today, Google is beginning the rollout of **Android 17 QPR2**, our second Quarterly Platform Release building on [Android 17](https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1u7l1cw/android_17_is_out_and_heres_all_the_features/) and [Android 17 QPR1](https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1wh8n2e/android_17_qpr1_brings_new_customization/). Through Quarterly Platform Releases (QPRs), Google continues to update the Android platform on a quarterly cadence with new capabilities, developer APIs, and quality-of-life refinements.

Android 17 QPR2 is rolling out first to supported Pixel devices alongside the [November Pixel Drop](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/devices/pixel/november-2026-pixel-drop/). Because many of these new additions and APIs are part of the core Android platform, you may also see them in future updates from our Android partners — check with your device manufacturer for details on their update schedule. 

Since we’ve been testing these changes with many of you across Beta and Canary builds over the past few months, a lot of this won’t be brand new if you’ve been following along closely. Even so, we wanted to put together a comprehensive recap of what’s new in Android 17 QPR2 for everyday users and developers. Let’s dive in!

# 🎨 Deeper color customization, improved support for blur effects, and UI polish

**Expanded color theming & adaptive wallpapers**

Under **Wallpaper & style > Colors**, you now have more granular control over color customization. Tapping the **color palette icon** in the top-right corner of the color picker opens a **"Select a color"** rainbow hue slider to pick a custom hue, while tapping the **pencil icon** overlaid on your selected swatch lets you choose between four color intensity styles: **Neutral, Soft, Bright,** and **Bold**.

https://preview.redd.it/qkjnkevi4u0i1.png?width=1838&format=png&auto=webp&s=1f12075af41dd4d05394fae08cb3a5954212e23b

https://preview.redd.it/9vr9hbvi4u0i1.png?width=1838&format=png&auto=webp&s=eb673293212148e5dcc8f955f76f198338f81fc5

While browsing palettes on the Home screen preview, you can also tap directly on the preview card to pause automatic cycling so it’s easier to compare how a specific page looks across swatches. 

Additionally, Android 17 QPR2 adds platform support for light and dark mode adaptive wallpapers, allowing compatible wallpaper collections to automatically switch between light and dark appearances with your system theme.

**New developer APIs to support backdrop blur & frosted glass effects in apps**

Android 17 QPR2 (API level 37.2) introduces new APIs for developers to implement fun backdrop blurring and frosted glass effects in their apps, starting with RenderNode.setBackdropRenderEffect(). Under the hood, Android and Jetpack Compose use RenderNodes — hardware-accelerated containers that compactly store drawing commands and visual properties (like 3D translations, rotations, alpha, and bounds). With setBackdropRenderEffect(), a RenderNode can now automatically sample and blur whatever content sits underneath it, making it easy to create delightful backdrop blur and frosted glass UIs. 

Developers can also use a progressive BlurRadiusSpec to apply a vertical gradient blur (varying the blur intensity across different parts of a container), or chain multiple RenderEffects together. [At the Android Dev Summit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TirZPDPV8Dw&list=PLYC2SN8iM_Do&index=5), the graphics team showed how chaining blur, saturation, and shaders can turn a "Jump to bottom" chat button into a magnifying glass, a kaleidoscope, or a morphing Android mascot. (*Developers: A built-in Compose backdrop blur modifier and backport are in the works too!*)

https://preview.redd.it/5b087hvi4u0i1.png?width=1603&format=png&auto=webp&s=4708b627c033554a2a721470508e5456c4026d09

For video players, Android 17 QPR2 introduces SurfaceView.setBlurRegions(). Many media apps render video using a SurfaceView, which isn't part of the app's View RenderNode tree and instead

punches a hole through the window — making it previously impossible to sample and blur until this release. Now, apps can declare specific blur regions directly on a SurfaceView to blur areas behind video player controls when they show and hide, giving app developers new tools to implement the kinds of blur and backdrop effects that their users have been asking for.

**Other UI & customization improvements**

* **Refreshed lock screen widget editing UI:** Highlighting a widget in lock screen editing mode now brings up a bottom action bar with dedicated **arrow keys** to move the widget up and down, a quick Remove button to delete it, and a **Settings** button to jump straight into that widget’s configuration (where supported). (*Note: Lock screen widgets are still in beta and must be enabled under Settings > Display & touch > Lock screen > Widgets on lock screen*.)
* **Further home screen context menu polishing:** Long-pressing on an empty area of the home screen reveals a more polished popup context menu. The menu icons are now bolder, plus the recent wallpaper carousel has shifted above the "Wallpaper & style" label rather than sitting below it, grouping "Wallpaper & style", "Widgets", "Apps list", and "Home settings" neatly together in a contiguous list.
* **Power menu fullscreen blur fix:** Fixes a visual bug where the system power menu background blur cut off early near the navigation bar; the blur now stretches edge-to-edge across the screen.

# 🔔 New status bar, notification, and Quick Settings controls

**Status bar icon settings**

A new **Status bar** page — accessible from Settings > Notifications > Status bar and Settings > System > Status bar — gives you some control over what appears in the status bar at the top of your screen.

https://preview.redd.it/sdnmbevi4u0i1.png?width=1343&format=png&auto=webp&s=a7fd9aaf156172101caf2a01fd575e8f19fb0326

Under **Notification icons**, you can choose to show **All** (*"Show all notification icons"*, filling available empty space in the status bar), **Priority only** (*"Show priority notifications only"*), or **None** (*"Show no notification icons"*). Under **System icons**, you can individually toggle indicators for **Battery percentage** (*"Show battery level"*), **Mute** (*"Show when device is muted"*), and **Vibrate** (*"Show when device is set to vibrate"*).

**Override app-forced screen brightness from Quick Settings**

Previously, when an open app forced a specific window brightness — such as maxing out your display at 100% brightness to show a boarding pass, barcode, or QR code — trying to dim your screen using the brightness slider in Quick Settings was blocked with a *"Can’t adjust brightness because it's being controlled by the top app"* message. 

Android 17 QPR2 unlocks the Quick Settings brightness slider during app brightness overrides so you can manually adjust the brightness to your preferred level; once you leave that app or return home, normal brightness behavior automatically resumes.

**Other notification & Quick Settings improvements**

* **Live Update notifications & status bar chips for print jobs:** Android’s built-in Print Spooler now uses Live Updates for active print jobs, letting you track real-time page progress from a glanceable status bar chip and expand the Live Update card on your lock screen or notification shade to check printer status, view errors, or cancel a print job in one tap.
* **Updated Keyboard switcher dialog:** Tapping the Keyboard tile in Quick Settings now opens a centered dialog that’s easier to reach.
* **Fix for Always-On Display (AOD) Live Update notification icons:** Refactors how AOD notification icons detect monochrome shapes, fixing an issue where dual-tone black-and-white icons in Live Updates (such as transit line or agency logos in Google Maps navigation) were mistakenly rendered as solid white circles on the AOD.

# 🎧 Updates to Bluetooth audio & connectivity

**Expanded Auracast & Bluetooth LE Audio capabilities**

Android 17 QPR2 introduces a new "**Voice broadcast**" feature (in preview) that lets you

broadcast your voice from your phone's microphone (or a connected wired headset mic) to nearby listeners over Auracast. Nearby listeners can tune in using Auracast-compatible headphones,hearing devices or another compatible Android phone to tune in.

You can quickly enable voice broadcast right from the Quick Settings panel. Before starting a voice broadcast, you have the option to edit the broadcast name or enable a "private channel" to protect the broadcast behind a configurable password. 

https://preview.redd.it/6x1xtgvi4u0i1.png?width=1258&format=png&auto=webp&s=de533c2f3d8cb4ed8c8a9ebf3e8ee53fc66022b4

Furthermore, users can connect to public Auracast streams effortlessly via a QR Code scanner and NFC “tap-to-join” technology. The Android 17 QPR2 update also adds a new Quick Settings tile “Audio streams” and proactive heads-up notifications when you unlock your phone near a public broadcast with a paired Auracast-compatible device. Additionally, it introduces dynamic program metadata updates when broadcasting media so listeners see real-time track or stream title changes. Once connected, users can leverage their compatible Android devices as intelligent receivers. By using real-time on-device intelligence, the phone can apply **Live Caption** and **Translation** directly on-screen—whether you are listening through a paired Auracast-compatible headset or following along completely headset-free.

**Other audio, sharing, & network improvements**

* **Fix for sudden Bluetooth volume spikes when triggering assistants:** Fixes a bug where certain actions (e.g. invoking Gemini or switching between audio types) could cause sudden maximum-volume spikes or leave media audio stuck loud afterward. When switching between audio streams on Bluetooth devices using Absolute Volume, Android now smoothly ramps volume up instead of jumping abruptly and drops stray external volume commands sent mid-transition while audio routing modes are changing.
* **Automatic encrypted DNS discovery & Private DNS reliability fixes:** Enables Discovery of Designated Resolvers (DDR) so devices can automatically detect and upgrade to encrypted DNS servers (DNS-over-HTTPS / DNS-over-TLS) advertised by local networks, and resolves an issue where *"Private DNS server cannot be reached"* alerts could remain stuck in the notification shade after network routing changes.
* **More discoverable "All apps" list in the system Share sheet:** Tweaks the initial vertical scroll offset when opening the Share sheet so the top of the alphabetical "all apps" grid peeks up from the bottom of the screen by roughly a third of a row — making it clearer at a glance that you can swipe up past suggested targets.

# 📱 Improvements to multitasking and the Linux Terminal

**Foldable window app handle & improvements to app bubbles**

Android 17 QPR2 improves multitasking on foldables by bringing an app handle to the top of app windows. You can drag or tap this handle to seamlessly transition a full-screen app into split-screen mode, expand a split-screen or bubbled app back to full screen, or drag the handle to reposition floating bubbles.

https://reddit.com/link/1xswmv0/video/o6d9di9p4u0i1/player

Additionally, app bubbles gain a new "Move to fullscreen" shortcut when you tap Manage on an open bubble, allowing phone users to transition bubbled apps into full screen windows. 

Finally, opening a bubbled app normally from the launcher also automatically dismisses its bubble and transitions it to full-screen view.

**Linux Terminal app: Guest-to-host VM file sharing & configurable link handling**

Previously, the Linux Terminal app only shared files in the host-to-guest direction (mounting Android’s storage directories at /mnt/shared inside the virtual machine), meaning you had to manually move Linux files into /mnt/shared before Android apps could access them. Android 17 QPR2 enables guest-to-host file sharing, exposing the running Linux VM’s home directory directly inside Android’s system file viewer (DocumentsUI) under a dedicated **Linux VM** section — letting you browse,