Android 17 to bring 'Handoff' feature: What is it?
What's the story
Google's upcoming Android 17 update will bring a new feature called "Handoff," aimed at improving cross-device continuity. The tech giant describes Handoff as a user-facing capability that works in the background and an API for developers. It will allow users to start an app activity on one Android device and seamlessly transition it to another, creating a more integrated experience across devices.
App compatibility
Handoff to offer app-to-web transitions as fallback
The Handoff feature will be able to launch the same native Android app, provided it is installed and available on the receiving device. This way, users can continue their tasks without any interruptions or delays. The feature also comes with an "app-to-web Handoff" as a fallback option for cases where the app isn't available on both devices.
Developer integration
Developers can enable Handoff on a per-activity basis
For developers, Google has made Handoff support available on a per-activity basis. To enable this feature, they have to call the setHandoffEnabled() method for the activity. They may also need to pass additional data with the handoff so that the recreated activity on the receiving device can restore its appropriate state. This way, developers can integrate Handoff into their apps effectively.
Feature specifics
How to implement Handoff in apps?
To implement Handoff, developers need to use the onHandoffActivityRequested() callback. This returns a HandoffActivityData object containing information that specifies how Handoff should handle, and recreate the activity on the receiving device. However, as of now, there is no live demonstration of Android 17 Beta 1 showing this feature in action.