Android 17’s new multitasking overhaul is making me look at my iPad with regret

01 Jul 2026, 15:15 by Jesse Hollington · Android Police

Apple has somehow managed to conquer the tablet market over the past 15 years.

I'm not sure how much of that is from the iPad being better versus a lack of direction from most Android contenders — but Google seems to be making a big comeback.

As quaint as it sounds today, there was a time when Google's Nexus 7 was the tablet Apple was trying to beat — at least in that smaller sub-10-inch form factor.

While it was a long time before Apple's tablet operating system offered anything more than a scaled-up iPhone UI, Android faced even more challenges in those days.

The good news is that Android 17 changes all that — and it does that by doing what Android has always done best: adapting to the hardware in your hand.

Android 17 is quietly fixing some of Android's most annoying issues

Smarter features that make daily use smoother

Posts By Rajesh Pandey

Apple overshot the mark

Awkward multitasking or a desktop experience — with nothing in between

We can't discuss what Android 17 gets right without discussing the elephant in the room: where Apple has consistently missed the mark.

In the early days, tablet fans complained the iPad was little more than a glorified iPhone.

When Apple added basic multitasking features like split screen and slide over in 2015, those were pilloried as being needlessly complex and unintuitive.

To be fair, not everyone agreed on what the iPad should be.

Some were content with a big single-tasking glass slab while others wanted a touchscreen version of macOS.

However, most folks just wanted to use multiple apps without resorting to finger gymnastics.

Apple listened to the laptop replacement crowd and overcorrected.

Instead of refining the user interface, iPadOS 26 added a fully windowed multitasking environment — an ironic move for a company that had long insisted the iPad was not a Mac.

These floating windows may be lovely for the "lightweight MacBook" crowd, but they're too much for folks who want their tablet to work like a tablet.

The only other option is to go back to the older and clunkier way of multitasking.

Android 17 hits the sweet spot

Multitasking that stays out of your way

Google has charted its own path here. I'm not sure if it's from watching Apple do the wrong things, but Android 17 has hit the perfect blend of usable multitasking without going overboard.

Google's secret sauce? App Bubbles now keep all your most important apps a tap away.

You may be familiar with these bubbles for notifications, which many of us found more annoying than useful.

They've grown up in Android 17 to become full-fledged apps, complete with a proper windowing mode.

Long pressing an app icon lets you float it on top of whatever else you're working on, where it's readily accessible without the complexities of shuffling and resizing windows around the screen.

Perhaps the most crucial part of keeping this experience lightweight is that these app bubbles can't just go anywhere.

Android 17 docks them in a dedicated "Bubble Bar" at the bottom of the screen.

This reduces the cognitive load of wondering where an app disappeared to and ensures you'll always know where to find it.

A tablet OS for all seasons (and screens)

Not everyone is toting a 13-inch slate

One of Apple's biggest mistakes in iPadOS 26 was assuming that everyone uses a 13-inch iPad Pro docked with a Magic Keyboard.

The new windowing system is great for someone who wants to treat their iPad like a laptop, but for my iPad mini? It's a UI nightmare.

Who wants to manipulate windows or hit tiny close, minimize, and maximize buttons on an 8.3-inch screen? Not this guy.

As a result, I'm forced into using my iPad mini in "classic" iPadOS mode, which is as clunky as it's ever been.

That's not the case with Android 17. While it's not readily available on smaller tablets yet, app bubbles aren't tablet-exclusive.

Since it's seamless even on a smartphone — my old Google Pixel 6 — it should easily scale to screens of any size.

That's not too surprising, as an ability to deal with nearly any screen size you can think of is something Android has had to contend with for years.

I'm excited for Android 17 on my Google Pixel just because of this one major productivity feature

Android 17's secret weapon

Posts 9
By Parth Shah

Has Google nailed the 'It Just Works' philosophy?

Android 17 isn't trying to be something it's not

It's the height of irony that a mantra that's long been associated with Apple has now effectively been co-opted by Google.

Apple's tablet operating system no longer "just works" for multitaskers — at least not unless you're looking for a laptop replacement.

Android 17, on the other hand, has struck a perfect balance between keeping apps accessible while ensuring they don't get in your way.

After all, there's something wrong with a design that forces you to spend more time managing your apps than actually using them.

A 13-inch iPad Pro with iPadOS 26 may be ideal for power users.

Still, it seems Apple forgot something that Google figured out: most people multitask on tablets by pulling up a quick note or writing an e-mail while referencing a PDF — not trying to edit a video while coding and running a Zoom call.