Pixel phones just got the biggest multitasking upgrade in years — here's how to use it

Ever since the Android 17 beta started rolling out, I’ve been really excited to try out all the new features. Fortunately, I was able to install it on my Google Pixel 10a, and over the past month, I’ve spent quite a bit of time exploring what it can do. Out of everything I’ve tried so far, app bubbles is the one I keep coming back to almost every day.

Using a slab phone does come with its own limitations. Don’t get me wrong, I really like my cute little Pixel 10a, but a smaller screen naturally means there’s less room for multitasking. Thankfully, app bubbles solves that exact problem, making everything feel more fluid and easier to manage.

And the good part is, this is no longer just a beta feature. It is now rolling out to all Android users with the stable Android 17 release. Here is a quick guide to using it on your phone.

How to create app bubbles

Creating app bubbles on your Pixel couldn’t be much simpler. You don’t need to jump through any complicated setup — just make sure you’ve installed the stable Android 17 update, and you’re already halfway there. Once that’s done, follow these steps:

1. Open the app drawer on your Pixel.
2. Now, long-press the app you want to turn into a bubble.
3. From the pop-up menu that appears, tap the Bubble option.
4. The app will instantly switch into a compact bubble-style view.
5. Repeat the same steps for any other apps you want to convert into bubbles.
6. As you keep doing this, the system will automatically group these apps into your first bubble set.
7. If that doesn’t happen, just tap the + (plus) icon in the app bubbles panel at the top and manually add the available app bubbles from your home screen.

One important thing to keep in mind: you can only have up to five app bubbles at a time. If you try adding more, the new one will simply replace an existing bubble to maintain that limit.

And that’s really all you need to get started with app bubbles on your Pixel. The actual setup process couldn’t be simpler, but if you need a few tips on what to actually do with app bubbles, I have a few suggestions.

How I’ve been using Android 17’s app bubbles

Since updating to Android 17, I honestly can’t think of a single day when I haven’t used app bubbles. I’ve kept the setup intentional, too, splitting everything between work and personal use so it actually feels helpful in day-to-day life.

Most of my day is spent hopping between the same handful of apps, each serving a very specific purpose. To give you an idea, I’m usually replying to Slack messages, checking Gmail every now and then for anything urgent, keeping YouTube running in the background for work music, slipping into the occasional Instagram reel spiral, and of course, chatting with everyone on WhatsApp. The first time I set these apps as bubbles, I didn’t really overthink it. I just arranged them and somehow never felt the need to change them after that.

On the work side, Slack, Gmail, and, to some extent, WhatsApp are shouldering most of the responsibilities. My work kind of demands that I stay plugged into what’s happening in tech all the time, so Slack is usually the first place I check whenever something important pops up. Gmail is where everything else lands — press releases, newsletters, updates I actually need to go through if I want to stay ahead.

I would be lying if I said I stay perfectly focused all the time. Instagram is technically part of work research for me, at least that’s what I tell myself while falling into an endless reel loop. YouTube, on the other hand, sits somewhere in between all of this chaos. It just plays my work music in the background. I don’t really open it for long sessions, but I do need it often enough to pause, skip, or switch tracks quickly, and that’s exactly where bubbles make things feel smoother.

My setup works for me, but that’s the beauty of app bubbles — it doesn’t have to look the same for you. Once you start using it regularly, you end up arranging things around your own habits. I didn’t really sit down and plan my setup; it just evolved over time as I kept reaching for the apps I used most. Somehow, it has created an oddly satisfying feeling in which the things I need most are always right there, floating within reach.

There isn’t much of a learning curve here either. Using app bubbles on your Pixel is incredibly easy once you get started, which is probably why it’s become one of those features I now use without even thinking about it. It slips into your routine, and before long, it just feels like a natural part of using your phone.

What makes that even more exciting is that app bubbles are just one small piece of the Android 17 experience. If a feature this simple can have such a noticeable impact on how I use my Pixel every day, there’s clearly a lot more in this update worth exploring. I’ve been living with Android 17 for over a month now, trying out its new features as part of my daily routine, and app bubbles is the one that has stuck with me the most.

If the rest of Android 17 can leave the same kind of impression, I’m looking forward to sharing more of those experiences as I continue spending time with the update.