Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

---

Welcome to episode 86 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will dig into an early Android 17 build that includes one big visual change: blurred backdrops. Is this a sign of things to come for Google's vision of its OS, or a more minor system-level tweak? The crew also checks out a leaked look at Android's new — albeit really familiar — desktop mode, Google's more affordable AI Plus plan for Gemini, and Chrome's agentic AI tools.








Subscribe







• YouTube Podcasts (youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcKP282Ii48tKK_KUt1kq1Ist9FkYR6lO)





• Pocket Casts (https://pca.st/podcast/ac8e6ce0-06b1-0136-c264-7d73a919276a)





• Spotify (open.spotify.com/show/7pMiADiw0KAEW9Tg9UAEnZ?si=y8-L9zobTTucmjDVvMJOoQ&dl_branch=1)





• Apple Podcasts (podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alphabet-scoop/id1359922601)





• Overcast (https://overcast.fm/itunes1359922601/alphabet-scoop)









Timecodes







• 00:00 – Intro and Android 17 first look





• 18:30 - Android's new desktop UI leaks





• 31:02 - Google's new AI Plus plan





• 39:21 - Chrome's "auto browse" agentic AI tools





• 54:56 - Forums announcement and wrap-up





Hosts







• Abner Li (9to5google.com/author/technacity/)





• Damien Wilde (9to5google.com/author/damien9to5/)





• Will Sattelberg (9to5google.com/author/willsattelberg/)





Read more







• This is Android 17’s blur, new screen recorder, & more in leaked screenshots [Gallery] (9to5google.com/2026/01/26/android-17-leak/)





• (9to5google.com/author/technacity/) Google adding blur to Android 17’s system UI on Pixel (9to5google.com/2026/01/25/android-17-blur/)





• (9to5google.com/author/technacity/) Android’s full desktop interface leaks: New status bar, Chrome Extensions, more [Video] (9to5google.com/2026/01/27/android-desktop-leak/)





• (9to5google.com/author/technacity/) Google AI Plus comes to US for $7.99, Google One 2 TB upgraded (9to5google.com/2026/01/27/google-ai-plus-us/)





• (9to5google.com/author/technacity/) Chrome rolling out Gemini 3-powered ‘auto browse’ with Google AI Pro  (9to5google.com/2026/01/28/chrome-gemini-auto-browse/)





• Introducing 9to5Google Forums (9to5google.com/2026/01/26/introducing-9to5google-forums/)



• Check out our new forums here! (9to5google.com/forums/) (9to5google.com/author/technacity/)








Listen to more 9to5 Podcasts







• The Sideload (9to5google.com/guides/the-sideload/)





• 9to5Mac Happy Hour (9to5mac.com/guides/9to5mac-happy-hour/)





• Electrek (electrek.co/guides/electrek-podcast/)





• Space Explored (spaceexplored.com/guides/space-explored-podcast/)





Feedback?






Drop us a line at gtips@9to5g.com (mailto:gtips@9to5g.com) , leave a comment on the post, or reach out to our producer (mailto:will@9to5mac.com) .