Google targets creators with Android 17 update

Google is making a fresh push for creators with Android 17, rolling out a slew of features designed to make the operating system more useful for making and posting content.

The biggest addition is a new Instagram experience built in partnership with Meta, which improves how videos look when uploaded to the platform from Android phones. Google says the quality now matches or beats rival devices. The update also improves low-light photography and makes handheld video smoother.

Instagram's editing app is also getting new Android-only tools. One lets creators improve the quality of photos and videos with a single tap. Another separates out background noise – wind, interruptions, ambient sound – so creators can clean up audio without having to re-record.

Adobe Premiere, the professional editing software, is coming to Android later this year, giving creators access to editing tools and templates for making short-form videos directly from their phones. Google is also adding a feature called Screen Reactions, which lets creators film themselves reacting to content on their screen at the same time, without needing a second device or app.

Google also announced a new high-quality video format developed with Samsung that takes up less storage space, currently available on two Samsung and vivo handsets.

Google said Android was becoming "a true mobile workstation for YouTubers, filmmakers and vloggers." The Android 17 rollout is the clearest sign yet that the company sees the mobile creator market as a direct battleground with Apple – and is prepared to build platform partnerships to win it.