5 Android 17 features that could be announced at Google's pre-I/O Android reveal — including Motion Assist and app locking

• Google has announced the date of the next Android Show
• It's being held on May 12 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6PM BST, which is 3am AEDT on May 13
• Google claims “this is going to be one of the biggest years for Android yet”

Android could be in for some big changes this year, and we’re about to hear about many of them, as Google has just confirmed that it’s holding ‘The Android Show: I/O Edition’ on May 12 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6PM BST, which is 3am on May 13 for those in Australia’s AEDT time zone.

You’ll be able to tune in live on YouTube, and if you head over to that link now, you can also enable a notification for when the event starts.

There aren’t too many clues about what we’ll see, but the video description says “this is going to be one of the biggest years for Android yet”, so it sounds like there could be some big Android 17-related announcements in store.

Last year, for reference, the Android Show included a look at Google’s Material 3 Expressive interface redesign, along with Gemini Live, Gemini across new devices like watches and TVs, and new safety and security tools. While the focus was on software, we did see some phones too, but Google was just highlighting some recently released models, rather than anything truly new.

So, what could we see this year? Well, it’s likely that there will be some big announcements around AI — so perhaps some more Gemini features.

In fact, with OpenAI reportedly working on an agentic AI phone, we wouldn’t be surprised if Google has plans to more fully integrate AI into Android phones, so it can interact with all your apps and get more done, but that’s just speculation for now. That could certainly make this “one of the biggest years for Android yet,” though.

As far as things that there’s actually evidence of, though, we could see the following five major Android features announced on May 12.

1. Motion Assist

A lot of Android 17’s features are already known thanks to various betas, but we’ve heard repeated rumblings that a Motion Cues feature to tackle motion sickness is in the works.

More recently, Android Authority found that this tool may have been renamed ‘Motion Assist’, and it’s a feature that would show a moving dot on your phone’s screen when you’re in a moving vehicle. The dot would move in relation to the movement of your phone, as a way to help your brain keep track of movement, and in theory, reduce nausea.

We’ve seen lots of evidence of this feature, including in Android code, so it’s almost certainly coming at some point; it’s just a question of when.

2. App lock

Android 17 could also get a native app lock feature, so you can lock any app you choose without hiding it away in Private Space.

This was first spotted by Android Authority, and it would mean that users of Pixel phones — or any other Android device that doesn’t have an app lock feature built in already — would now be able to lock specific apps behind a PIN or biometric authentication, without having to use a third-party tool.

This could be a very useful feature, and it’s something you can already do on iOS, so it’s about time Android caught up.

Android code pointing to this feature has been dug up, so as with Motion Assist, it’s almost certainly something Google is working on; it just remains to be seen whether it will be ready in time for Android 17. But if it is, we may well see it at the Android Show.

3. A Liquid Glass-like look

Android got a big visual overhaul last year with Material 3 Expressive, but further changes could be coming this year, as according to 9to5Google, Android 17 will include “significantly more blur.”

This sounds like it could bring the interface a bit more in line with Apple’s recent Liquid Glass redesign, and we’ve even seen how elements of it might look thanks to various leaked images, such as some from @jspirit on Telegram (via Android Authority), showing translucent blur effects across much of the interface.

This might substantially change how Android looks, so this could be a highlight of the Android Show.

4. A new gesture control

Android Authority has also found a double-tap gesture to turn Pixel screens off, and while this isn’t meant to be available yet, the site was able to enable it in an Android 17 beta by digging around in the code, so it’s likely near completion.

This is a small, simple, but potentially quite useful addition, meaning you can turn your phone's screen off with just two quick taps, rather than having to reach for the power button.

And while this feature is reportedly just for Pixels, there's already similar functionality in phones from the likes of Samsung, OnePlus, and Xiaomi anyway.

5. Easier home screen organization

Finally, Android Authority has also seen evidence of a home screen organizer feature for Google Pixel phones.

With this, it seems you’d be able to choose a category for a home screen panel, such as frequently used apps, social media, or games, and then choose from a handful of different layouts, and have the panel automatically populated with relevant apps and games.

Evidence of this feature was found in an Android 17 beta, but it wasn’t fully functional, so it was clearly still a work in progress. It may or may not be ready in time for Android 17’s launch, then, but there’s at least a chance we’ll see this at the upcoming Android Show.

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