The Android 17 Handoff API

In the app-to-app flow, the receiving device launches the same native app, if it is installed, and deep-links the user to the designated activity. The receiving device builds a launch intent for the component you name and passes along your extras, so put what’s needed to restore state, such as a document position or open tab, in the extras. As a fallback, or instead, you can offer app-to-web Handoff: if the component can’t be launched, the fallback URI opens in the device’s web browser; with no fallback the user sees an error. When the system hands off a whole task and the component can’t be resolved, only the top activity is handed off.

Handoff runs in the background and surfaces activities available from the user’s other nearby devices through entry points like the launcher and taskbar on the receiving device. Google’s September 2026 Googlebook post calls the experience Continue On, with handoff in both directions between phones, tablets and Googlebooks. See Googlebook for Android developers and the Android 17 behavior changes checklist.

Continuity keeps users in your app across devices; being found brings them there first. Censuus ranks apps by the visits they draw, and adding your app is free on the List my app form. Placement comes from traffic and sponsorship: apps climb on the visits they draw, and a sponsor can pay to rise higher.