Pixelated 088: The beta that (almost) wasn’t

Source: 9to5Google

Welcome to episode 88 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Ben Schoon joins Damien and Will to talk through the announcement — and subsequent unannouncement — of Android 17. The group discusses how and why this launch fell apart before outlining what expectations we should have for Android updates in 2026. They then turn to Samsung, which just confirmed an Unpacked announcement for late February for a series of phones that has us scratching our heads when it comes to big year‑over‑year improvements.

This episode was recorded prior to Android 17’s eventual release on Friday afternoon.

Timecodes

• 00:00 – Intro
• 01:05 – Android 17 Beta 1 delay
• 14:14 – What we hope for in Android updates
• 22:52 – Galaxy Unpacked announcement and the S26 trio
• 46:13 – Wrap‑up

Hosts

• Ben Schoon
• Damien Wilde
• Will Sattelberg