Google Announces "Handoff" Feature for Seamless Device Transition on Android 17

Google has announced a new feature for Android 17, referred to as both "Handoff" and "Continue On," designed to allow users to transition tasks seamlessly between Android devices signed into the same account.

Feature Mechanics

The feature enables users to start an app activity on one Android device and transfer it to another Android device. According to Google, activities from one device will appear in the dock or launcher of another nearby device.

Google describes Handoff as both a user-facing feature operating in the background and an API for developers. The feature is designed to launch the corresponding native Android app if installed on the receiving device, deep-linking directly to the designated activity. A fallback "app-to-web Handoff" option is also included.

Developer Implementation

Support for Handoff is implemented on a per-activity basis. To enable it, developers must call the setHandoffEnabled() method for the specific activity. Additional data may be required to pass during the handoff to ensure the recreated activity on the receiving device can restore its state.

Developers must also implement the onHandoffActivityRequested() callback, which returns a HandoffActivityData object detailing how the system should manage and recreate the activity.

Scope and Availability

Google stated that the feature will initially work only between Android phones and tablets. The taskbar functionality associated with the feature is applicable to foldables, tablets, and other large-screen Android devices. The feature is bidirectional.

According to Google, Continue On will be available in Android 17 RC1 (release candidate). Android 17's last planned beta release occurred approximately one month prior.

Background

The information was revealed during the "What's new in Android" talk at Google I/O 2026 and detailed on a developer page. The feature shares similarities with Apple's Handoff, which was introduced in 2014.