# Bubble up - Android 17's new multitasking feature explained

DevFeed: [Bubble up - Android 17's new multitasking feature explained](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/bubble-up-android-17-s-new-multitasking-feature-explained-26159.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://dev.to/tkuenneth/bubble-up-android-17s-new-multitasking-feature-explained-l58>)

Author: Thomas Künneth

Published: 2026-05-11T14:55:40Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Thomas Künneth](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/thomas-kunneth.md>)

Topics: [Android](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/android.md>), [Large Screen](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/large-screen.md>)

Tags: [android](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/android.md>), [androiddev](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/androiddev.md>), [app](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/app.md>), [coding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/coding.md>), [community](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/community.md>), [development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development.md>), [engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/engineering.md>), [feature](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/feature.md>), [inclusive](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/inclusive.md>), [multitasking](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/multitasking.md>), [software](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software.md>), [ui](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ui.md>)

## AI overview

The article explains Android 17's new multitasking feature, which lets users turn almost any app into a floating window from its launcher icon, home screen, app drawer, or taskbar. It places the feature in the context of Android's earlier split-screen, multi-window, desktop mode, and chat bubble developments.

## Source excerpt

Only with the release of 12L, Google became serious about making Android a productivity powerhouse across screen sizes and form factors. While we had tablets much earlier, neither the OS nor Mountain View's flagship apps took advantage. With 12L, we got the persistent taskbar, which made dragging and dropping apps into split-screen mode a natural gesture. Subsequent updates like Android 14 and 15 refined this by adding app pairs and improving how the system handles unoptimized apps in multi-window mode. Android 16 introduced the Desktop Mode that allows for freeform window resizing similar to a traditional PC. And yes, we had seen precursors of this much earlier. Android 7.0 Nougat shipped with a hidden freeform windows developer flag, though it languished for years without proper app support or official ecosystem commitment. While ChromeOS can be considered a productivity hub, too (many devices are either detachables or convertibles, and some come with a stylus in the box), it's not Android. Although it runs Android apps (in a container called ArcVM), and even though the apps are shown in freely movable and resizable windows, apps run on an outdated Android version (depending on the device, Android 11, 13, or 15); what's more, the integration is plagued by a couple of annoying user-facing bugs that make the split-screen feature practically unusable. (Chat) Bubbles With chat bubbles, Google introduced an alternative to notifications, specifically targeting conversations. Introduced with Android 11, these floating windows aimed at making chats more accessible without switching apps by putting them on top of other content. The implementation always felt like an experiment. The Bubbles API is an extension of the ShortcutInfo and Notification APIs. To this day, the feature is tied to the MessagingStyle notification category. Consequently, developers can't just bubble any arbitrary app component, limiting a promising windowing concept to a niche utility for messengers li