- The new “Task Handoff” feature has quietly begun rolling out in the next-generation Android OS, “Android 17.”
- This is equivalent to Apple’s “Handoff” feature.
- The feature can be toggled ON/OFF for each app, with settings located on the “App info” page under “Task Handoff (App Tasks).”
Previously, rumors surfaced about a new cross-device feature in development for Android devices, designed to allow users to seamlessly pick up tasks like composing emails or browsing web pages across different devices, similar to “Handoff.”
This “Handoff” functionality is already available on Apple products, enabling users to transition tasks seamlessly between their devices. It was reported that a comparable feature was being developed for Android, and I’m here to share that it has now quietly begun rolling out as a new “Task Handoff” feature in the next-generation Android OS, “Android 17.”
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The “Task Handoff” feature in “Android 17” can be toggled ON/OFF on a per-app basis, with settings found on each app’s “App info” page under “Task Handoff (App Tasks).” While the setting description states, “Resume where you left off on other devices,” no specific instructions on how to use it are provided.
It is a somewhat confusing setting. It remains a mystery why such an important feature has been rolled out so quietly without any formal explanation.
Incidentally, “Task Handoff” in “Android 17” is managed by the “Cross-device services” app. In other words, it is one of the features powered by the “Cross-device services” (formerly known as Cross-device services) framework.
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.REQUEST_TASK_HANDOFF"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_REMOTE_TASKS"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_HANDOFF_SETTINGS"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MODIFY_HANDOFF_SETTINGS"/>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:versionCode="100113100"
android:versionName="1.0.1131.0"
android:compileSdkVersion="37"
android:compileSdkVersionCodename="CinnamonBun"
platformBuildVersionCode="37"
platformBuildVersionName="CinnamonBun">“Cross-device services” App Link
