Even when that update arrives, only Samsung phones running Android 17 will work. If you have an older or cheaper phone, you may not get the necessary OS update until later. And Samsung is actually better at updating support than most device manufacturers. Motorola launched its 2026 phones with Android 16 and they are still waiting for a final update to version 17. OnePlus, which recently scaled back operations in several markets, is also still testing Android 17. Xiaomi has rolled out Android 17 to some high-end devices, but Googlebooks are not available in most of its major markets.
This leaves Pixel phones as the only option if you want proper mobile integration with your new Google laptop today. The Googlebook platform will likely appeal more to people who already use the company’s custom Android phones, but Samsung is by far the largest Android OEM. Releasing Googlebooks without Samsung support and not making that clear in any public statements is not a great start for Google’s renewed laptop effort.
The main problem is that Googlebooks rely on features exclusive to Android 17. This used to be a common problem with Android, as phones from various manufacturers often fall behind on major OS updates. However, Google has worked to move more features to Google Play services and create a modular system layer to speed up updates. The result is that you usually no longer have to worry about what version of Android your phone is running; There are very few features exclusive to the new versions today, but compatibility with Googlebooks is apparently one of them.
