I've been playing with Android 17 Beta 1 for about a week now. While it isn't a massive update with tons of new features, there are a couple of things I've already grown to love – so much so that going back to a phone running Android 16 feels like a step backward. These aren't groundbreaking, revolutionary changes, but they address some long-standing annoyances I've had with the Pixel experience.

Finally, control over At a Glance

For years, I've wanted this: the ability to remove the At a Glance widget from the home screen. Don't get me wrong, At a Glance is great on the lock screen. Seeing the weather, upcoming appointments, and flight info without unlocking my phone is super convenient. However, its permanent placement on the home screen has always bothered me.

It's not that the information is less useful there, but I like to manage my home screen as I like. Having a widget I couldn't move or remove felt like a constant imposition. With Android 17 Beta 1, that's finally changed. Now, I can remove At a Glance, freeing up that space for apps and other widgets. It might seem like a small thing, but it's a huge win for customization. Of course, if you like having At a Glance on your home screen, you can keep it. The point is, the choice is yours now. And the best part? Removing it from the home screen doesn't affect its presence on the lock screen.

Customizable Google Search bar

The other feature I'm loving in Android 17 Beta 1 is the ability to customize the Google Search bar. This is another one that's been a long time coming. Now, if you press and hold on the search bar, you'll see a "Widget settings" button. Tapping this lets you change the search bar's theme (including custom colors), transparency, and even the shortcut that appears in it.

I am still trying all the possibilities. The News shortcut is great for quickly catching up on current events, but I also like the Saved shortcut. In fact, I think that I'll simply disable it to have more space in my search bar. Having the flexibility to customize it to my needs is great.

While these customization options were already available for the standard Google Search widget, they were strangely absent from the search bar on the Pixel home screen. It's nice to see Google finally address this inconsistency. While Android 17 Beta 1 might seem like a minor update, these two changes have already made a big difference in my daily use. And with more features on the way, like a redesigned notification panel and a universal clipboard, I'm excited to see what else Android 17 has in store.