What you need to know
- Android 17 finally brings seamless app transfer to Android with a new feature called Continue.
- The Resume feature can transfer app activity from phone to tablet almost instantly, including articles, notes, emails, and even specific web pages or documents.
- Google eventually designed the system to work both ways, but Android 17 starts with the switch from phone to tablet first.
Google is finally giving something to Android users apple fans have been bragging about for years: seamless app transfer between devices. With Android 17, Google is introducing a new feature called Continue, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most practical improvements to the platform in a long time.
The company said in a blog post It works on the framework Android 17 (API Level 37) securely connects the “sender device” where your activity originates and the “receiver device” that captures the exact state of that application. While the system is built to be completely bi-directional, Google prioritizes mobile-to-tablet transitions right out of the gate.
So if you’re using an app on your phone, a suggestion for that app will pop up on your tablet’s taskbar. Tap it and the app will pick up where you left off. For example, if you’re reading an article, writing a note, or checking email on your phone, your tablet can do the same thing almost instantly. In supported cases, Android can even reopen the same web page or document you visited.
Next, Google has plans to move from tablet to phone, but has yet to announce a timeline for that. Note that both devices must support this feature, and the same software must generally be installed on the devices for local transfer to work properly.
Smart web return
The system will also receive backup support from Google. If the receiving device doesn’t have the app installed, Android can continue the session via the web instead.
There was a company Android 17 previously teased cross-device transfer during betabut now it is becoming more formal.
This push also fits Google’s bigger Android strategy for 2026. Android 17 focuses on multitasking, large screen devices and ecosystem features. Google has already introduced new app bubble tools, tablet-focused enhancements, improved desktop-style features, and tighter cross-device experiences in the beta program.
Google said Continue On will begin testing with Android 17 RC1, the platform’s first release candidate. The stable Android 17 is expected to be released later this year, probably with the next wave flagship Android phones and tablets.
Android Central’s Take
Resume is one of those Android features that should have been around years ago. Users already bounce between phones, tablets, foldables, and Chromebooks all day, so finally making Android feel like a connected ecosystem is a win for users. That said, Apple made this kind of seamless transfer feel normal almost a decade ago, and Android users have been relying on cumbersome workarounds ever since. So while I’m glad Google is finally catching on, the big challenge now is making sure Continue doesn’t join the long list of promising Android features that quietly disappear after six months because developers ignore them or Google loses interest.
