Android 17 is officially better on Pixels older than the Pixel 11
The Google Pixel 11 series still isn’t running on the very latest build of Android 17, leaving it trailing in the wake of older phones.
Google commenced rolling out its October security patch only yesterday, addressing at least two of the many bugs that have emerged in the wake of Android 17’s halting release.
This followed on from the rollout of Android 17 QPR1 – the first major quarterly update of the platform – in late September.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
That latter release, however, only came to older Pixel devices. The Google Pixel 11 Pro and its Pixel 11 brothers are still running on the initial release of Android 17.
It could well be argued, then, that the five-year-old Google Pixel 6 is running on more advanced software than the Google Pixel 11.
What’s in store for the Pixel 11
We’re (kind of) joking, of course. The Google Pixel 11 series launched with a bevvy of fresh features, and things such as Magic Capture remain exclusive to the 2026 models.
It’s not ideal, however, that the Pixel 11 series still doesn’t have access to the minor visual changes that accompanied the Android 17 QPR1 rollout.
As 9to5Google points out, this includes a blur effect for some of the menus, and a more flexible system media player that resizes when other apps are available.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
It seems quite possible that the Pixel 11 series will skip Android 17 QPR1 altogether, and will instead go straight to Android 17 QPR2 some time in December.
Given that the initial beta of this build contains a big upgrade to the Pro-exclusive HiLight feature, this wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It would just mean that Pixel 11 owners have to put up with a slightly creaky version of Android for the next two months.
