A Blurry Vision of Android

Welcome to episode 86 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will dig into an early Android 17 build that includes one big visual change: blurred backdrops. Is this a sign of things to come for Google's vision of its OS, or a more minor system-level tweak? The crew also checks out a leaked look at Android's new — albeit really familiar — desktop mode, Google's more affordable AI Plus plan for Gemini, and Chrome's agentic AI tools. Subscribe YouTube Podcasts Pocket Casts Spotify Apple Podcasts Overcast Timecodes 00:00 – Intro and Android 17 first look 18:30 - Android's new desktop UI leaks 31:02 - Google's new AI Plus plan 39:21 - Chrome's "auto browse" agentic AI tools 54:56 - Forums announcement and wrap-up Hosts Abner Li Damien Wilde Will Sattelberg Read more This is Android 17’s blur, new screen recorder, & more in leaked screenshots [Gallery] Google adding blur to Android 17’s system UI on Pixel Android’s full desktop interface leaks: New status bar, Chrome Extensions, more [Video] Google AI Plus comes to US for $7.99, Google One 2 TB upgraded Chrome rolling out Gemini 3-powered ‘auto browse’ with Google AI Pro Introducing 9to5Google Forums Check out our new forums here! Listen to more 9to5 Podcasts The Sideload 9to5Mac Happy Hour Electrek Space Explored Feedback? Drop us a line at [email protected], leave a comment on the post, or reach out to our producer.