Android 17 Beta Introduces Handoff For Cross-Device App Workflows

Android 17 Beta 1 launches early support for a new Handoff feature that allows users to start an app activity on one device and continue it on another.

The functionality is part of Android 17’s developer APIs and is designed to transfer an app’s active state between nearby Android devices. While not fully launched in the user interface yet, the Handoff update is present in the beta build.

What is an Android Handoff?

Handoff is a new Android feature and API that enables an app to sign its current activity as transferable. When another Android  device is nearby, the system can surface that activity through the launcher or taskbar.

Tapping the surfaced app on the second device triggers a state transfer. The receiving device then opens the same app and resumes the activity at the same point.

The feature is implemented directly within the Android lifecycle.

For developers, enabling the feature requires calling a new method, setHandoffEnabled(), which signals that an activity can be handed off. When a second device requests the activity, Android invokes a callback (onHandoffActivityRequested()), allowing the app to package and transfer its current state.

Android 17 App-to-web fallback

Android 17 also supports an “app-to-web” fallback mechanism.

If the receiving device does not have the same app installed, the system can redirect the user to a web version of the content instead of failing the transfer.

This prevents continuity from breaking due to missing app installations.

Google has not detailed how broadly this fallback will be supported or whether developers must configure it.

Android 17 cross-device continuity feature: How it works?

Android has offered limited cross-device features before, including various phone-to-Chromebook integrations. Those actions focused on notifications, tethering, and messaging rather than full activity transfer.

Handoff represents a deeper form of continuity.

In practice, this could allow users to:

• Start composing an email on a phone and continue on a tablet
• Open a document on one device and resume editing on another
• Move between mobile and larger-screen devices without reopening apps

If implemented widely, this reduces massive friction between form factors and brings Android closer to a unified multi-device workflow.

Implications for future Android devices

The presence of Handoff in Android 17 Beta 1 suggests Google is building continuity directly into the operating system rather than layering it on top.

The feature is not fully live in the public interface yet. It appears to be in early stages, with APIs available to developers ahead of a broader upgrade.

There is no confirmed timeline for when Handoff will be visible to all users or whether it will require specific hardware.

For now, developers can begin experimenting with the APIs in Android 17 Beta 1. End users should not expect visible changes until later beta builds or a stable release.

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