I hated multitasking on my Pixel until I tried Android 17 app bubbles

The software experience can make or break a smartphone for me, so I continue to focus on Pixels. Google’s phones feel comfortable in a way that very few Android phones manage, and I love that.

So, naturally, moment Android 17 started making headlines features such as software memory limits, more detailed controls, and improved spatial transparency piqued my interest. New software updates get me unproductively excited, so resisting the beta was never an option. I installed it myself Google Pixel 10a just to see how these features will feel in everyday use.

Quite simply, this turned out to be one of the more interesting beta experiences I’ve had in a while. There’s a surprising amount to explore below the surface, and I spent days wandering into every little nook and cranny of it. But in the midst of all these experiences, the multitasking feature has taken over how I use my phone.

The Bubbles feature in Android 17 solved one of the biggest multifaceted frustrations I’ve ever had with flip phones. Before switching to the Pixel 10a I was using Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7it completely changed my expectations of multitasking. When you’re used to having multiple apps open side-by-side on a large foldable display, going back to a “normal” phone suddenly becomes more restrictive than you might imagine.

No, I’m not comparing them, but this change immediately struck me on the Pixel 10a. When I needed to switch between apps, I always found myself relying on the recent apps menu – close one, swipe through the app carousel, open another, then repeat the whole process. It certainly worked, but it never felt smooth once you got a feel for how easy multitasking could be.

Android 17’s app bubbles are where it changes that beat for me. I closed my most used apps and now switching between them feels completely instantaneous. I just tap on the bubble, enter the app, swipe to another one when needed, and continue whatever I’m doing without constantly interrupting my flow.

What surprises me the most is how useful they actually are. Yes, I know – at first glance these little floating windows seem like they’ll feel cramped or restrictive, but once you start actually using them, they rarely are. For quick replies, checking data, copying between apps, or even casual searching, the experience is more comfortable than I expected; almost like carrying a small slice of foldable-style multitasking in a slate phone.

This function allows you to close up to five programs at the same time. I know, it sounds a bit restrictive at first, but five apps are enough to stay productive without turning my screen into a chaotic pile of floating windows fighting for survival – which, knowing me, would happen without any restrictions.

Over time, the setup itself began to feel like a snapshot of my daily routine. The current bubble setup on my Google Pixel 10a includes Instagram, WhatsApp, Chrome, Slack, and YouTube Music — mostly a mix of work and distractions. I’m a big believer in work-life balance, which in my case means responding to Slack messages while also watching streams I shouldn’t.

Of course, Instagram and WhatsApp sit at the top because they are the apps I use the most. Look, I know myself well enough that no phone session is ever-ending. Instagram opens instantly via a bubble, and from there it’s business as usual – scrolling through reels, sharing memes with friends, and reacting to stories. The experience also feels completely normal. While the app layout is more compact than usual, it doesn’t feel cluttered.

This convenience becomes even more useful with WhatsApp. Unlike Instagram, I rarely open it myself unless a notification pops up. But everyone I know is there—friends, family, business people, and random groups—and the notifications never stop. So instead of digging through the app drawer every time, I just tap the bubble and jump right into the chat.

What surprises me is how quickly Slack grabs my attention despite all of this. I know it sounds incredible after hearing how emotionally invested I am in Instagram, but the second a Slack notification pops up, I instinctively tap the bubble, skim the message, decide if it’s an emergency, or get to work, or move on with my life.

Once the chaos of notifications clears away, Chrome and YouTube Music functionally complete the installation quietly. My brain refuses to let random ideas go unexplored, so Chrome is there for every exciting moment that can’t wait another minute. Meanwhile, YouTube Music mostly stays in the background and does its thing. But every time I hear a song I like, or suddenly remember a song from 2017 at 2pm on a Tuesday, the bubble makes it ridiculously easy to access it, play it, and add it to my favorites before my goldfish attention shifts to something else.

While I mostly use app bubbles to maintain work-life balance, if you’re one of those productivity superheroes, you can turn all your work apps (like Gmail, Docs, and Slack) into bubbles and multitask endlessly. Someone has to keep the productivity economy alive.

It really comes down to it. The best thing about Android 17’s bubbles feature isn’t that it allows me to multitask between multiple apps on a regular slab phone—it somehow manages to do it all without making me feel overwhelmed.

That’s why this feature has brought an oddly unbalanced balance to my workflow. My most used apps are always within reach, and instead of constantly opening and closing and hunting for things, I move between them throughout the day.

And this change has completely changed the way the Pixel 10a feels in everyday use. It’s still compact, it’s still light, and it still has that easy-to-live-in charm that I’ve loved since day one. The real problem, it turns out, was that there was never any hardware; I just needed a program that could keep up with a brain that constantly juggles five things at once.