Android 17 beta update brings cross-device continuity feature: How it works

Android 17 beta 1 update introduces Handoff, a cross-device continuity feature that lets users move app activities between nearby devices with system-level support

Google has rolled out a new cross-device continuity feature, “Handoff,” with the release of the Android 17 beta 1 update. Google, in its release notes, describes Handoff as both a consumer feature and a developer API that operates quietly in the background. It enables users to begin a task on one Android device and continue it on another nearby device. 

 

Google said that available activities from other devices will appear through system areas such as the launcher and taskbar. If the same app is installed on the second device, Handoff can open that native Android app directly to resume the activity.

 

 

Android 17 will also offer “app-to-web Handoff” as a fallback option. For developers, “Handoff support is implemented on a per-activity basis.”

 

Google also shared instructions on how to enable it. The company wrote, “To enable Handoff, call the setHandoffEnabled() method for the activity. Additional data may need to be passed along with the handoff so the recreated activity on the receiving device can restore appropriate state. Implement the onHandoffActivityRequested() callback to return a HandoffActivityData object which contains details that specify how Handoff should handle and recreate the activity on the receiving device.”

Android 17’s Handoff and Apple’s Handoff

A comparable feature to Android 17’s Handoff has existed in Apple’s ecosystem for quite some time. Apple’s Handoff allows users to start working on one Apple device and continue the same activity on another nearby device signed in with the same Apple Account, with a resume icon appearing in system areas such as the Dock or App Switcher. Akin to this, Android 17’s Handoff lets users begin an app activity on one Android device and transition it to another nearby device.

 

On Apple devices, selecting the Handoff icon opens the same supported app and restores the activity state, enabling continuation across iPhone, iPad or Mac. In Android 17, Handoff can deep-link into the same native Android app on the receiving device if it is installed, restoring the designated activity. Apple’s implementation surfaces continuation through system UI when devices are in proximity, while Android’s version surfaces available activities via system entry points like the launcher and taskbar. In cases where native app continuation is not possible, Android 17 also supports an app-to-web fallback option, offering continuity through a URL-based handoff.