The Beta That (Almost) Wasn't

Welcome to episode 88 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Ben Schoon joins Damien and Will to talk through the announcement — and subsequent un announcement — of Android 17. The group talks through how and why this launch fell apart before discussing exactly what expectations we all should have for Android updates in 2026. Then they turn to Samsung, which just confirmed an Unpacked announcement for late February for a series of phones that has us scratching our heads when it comes to big year-over-year improvements. This episode was recorded prior to Android 17's eventual release on Friday afternoon.

You can listen to The Beta That (Almost) Wasn't online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Beta That (Almost) Wasn't is an episode from Alphabet Scoop by 9to5Mac.

This episode is 48:07 long.

This episode was published on Feb 13, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Alphabet Scoop when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.