Pixel phones are now better at multitasking, thanks to Android 17's Bubbles

The June Pixel Drop is here, and if you are a multitasker, it’s got a feature that you are going to love: Bubbles.

With this feature, you can long-press any app icon to open it in a “Bubble.” The app then opens in a small floating window. Once you tap out of it, it minimizes itself into a small floating bubble on your screen.

You can have up to five apps open as bubbles at any given time, and you can switch between them easily. Plus, you can dismiss apps from the stack of bubbles if you no longer need them, and you can add more apps to the stack as well.

This can prove extremely useful for messaging and media apps. Just open them as a floating bubble, and you can get to your messages or control your media without switching away from whatever you’re doing on your phone.

On devices with larger screens, such as foldable phones like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, app bubbles show up in a dedicated bubble bar at the bottom of the screen. This makes it easier to switch between apps, resize them, or maximize them for an even better multitasking experience.

Bubbles have been available in the Android 17 beta for a while, and though the feature has some issues, we’ve loved using them for the most part. With the June Pixel Drop, app bubbles are available on all Pixel devices running Android 17.

The latest Pixel Drop also brings a bunch of other features, including Screen Reactions and new Gemini models.