Android 17 is bringing a few exciting improvements to Google Pixel phones, and Bubbles may be the biggest one. Pop-up and floating windows are nothing new for Android users, but they’ve never been built into Pixel UI. Instead, power users had to turn to other operating systems like Samsung’s One UI to multitask with floating windows.
Google was already familiar with floating windows and pop-up views because Android already supported Bubbles for messaging apps. Back then, I found them more annoying than helpful. I only activated conversation bubbles by accident and never saw the value in them. After trying the upgraded Bubbles experience for apps and multitasking in Android 17, I’m a believer.
Here’s how you can try app bubbles with Android 17 for yourself, and how the Pixel experience compares to the Galaxy one.
App bubbles are a new way to multitask on Pixel
Google Pixel phones already support multitasking with split-screen views. Open an app, use the app switcher, and press the app’s name to reveal a Split screen button. Then, Pixel users can pick a second app to create a split-screen layout. They can drag the slider in the middle to adjust the split ratio.
For traditional Android phones, a 50:50 horizontal split is the default, but you can drag the slider to the 90:10 position to unlock a new Android 16 feature. In this mode, one app takes up most of your phone screen, while the secondary app remains greyed out. Tapping the unused, secondary app flips the ratio. It’s a great solution for when you want to use two apps in (mostly) full-screen mode without having to use the app switcher.
Android 16 didn’t offer a better way to use more than two apps at once, however. Android 17 finally addresses this problem with app bubbles. You can use up to five at once, and it’s a convenient way to multitask when the regular split-screen mode won’t cut it. Essentially, the apps stay minimized in bubble form, and tapping them reveals a floating window that lets you use the app over whatever is on your screen.
I rarely used split-screen views on my Pixel phones for multitasking, but Bubbles seem much easier to create and are fun to use.
Add up to five apps to an Android 17 bubble group
Bubbles are a core part of the Android 17 experience by default. Surprisingly, you can’t create them in the same way you would a split-screen view. Instead, you need to create Bubbles by physically holding down on an app’s icon on the home screen or app drawer. Find the app you want to turn into a bubble, and hold down on it to reveal the shortcut menu.
If the app doesn’t offer a custom shortcut, you’ll see a button with a new icon beside the word Bubble. This icon looks like a window being minimized, with an arrow pointing toward a dot. If the app does have custom shortcuts, you’ll only see the Bubble icon — not the text. Either way, tapping the Bubble button in an app’s shortcut menu will open your first app bubble.
The floating app window takes up most of the screen, and you’ll see all the bubbles in your group above it. If this is your first bubble, you can press the + button to add apps you’ve recently used in bubble form. To add an app that you haven’t recently used as a bubble, find it in the app drawer, open the shortcut menu, and tap the Bubble button.
You can fit up to five in a bubble group and switch between them by tapping each bubble icon. They reorder as you use them, so the most recently used app icons appear first. Tap away from the app bubble, and you’ll return to wherever you were before opening the bubble. The bubble or bubble group will appear as a tiny icon on your screen that you can move wherever you’d like.
There are a few ways to close a bubble. If you only want to close one, you can open it, tap the Manage button, and hit Dismiss bubble. To close every bubble in a group, grab the bubble icon and drag it toward the Close button at the bottom of the screen, then release.
Foldable users get a different app bubble experience
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If you have a Pixel Fold, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, or Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the Bubbles experience will be different when you open the main display. Here, Bubbles appear as part of the Taskbar. Besides your Taskbar’s dock apps and recently used apps, you’ll see the Bubbles group in the corner. You can tap the app bubble or group to open the floating window, but it’ll still only take up a small portion of just one half of the screen.
The great thing about the way Bubbles work on the inner screen of folding phones is that they stay completely hidden as you use your device. In minimized form, Bubbles — like the rest of the Taskbar — are stowed away as you use other apps. Swiping up from the bottom opens the Taskbar and reveals your Bubbles.
I love Android 17’s app bubbles, but there’s a catch
Bubbles are a clever way to multitask smarter on your Pixel devices, especially if you have a Pixel Fold device. However, they don’t match up perfectly with floating windows and pop-up views on Samsung Galaxy phones.
The One UI 8.5 experience is more powerful, as you can move floating windows anywhere, resize them, or separate them. You can also create floating windows from the app switcher in One UI, whereas you need to go to the home screen or app drawer in Pixel UI.
So, while the Bubbles experience in Android 17 needs work before it can be a true One UI competitor, it’s a great step in the right direction for Pixel users.
Awesome app bubbles
Google Pixel phones are the first to get Android 17, so if you need a new phone and want to try them, the Pixel 10 is a good place to start. It can run Android 17 today and will get six more Android OS upgrades down the road.