Android 17 Update Makes Phones Feel "Laggy" – Here's the Explanation

Android offers a solution to the problem of phone addiction through Android 17, by making the phone appear to lag momentarily after an app is opened.

Doomscrolling or continuous phone use has indeed become one of the issues in this digital era. We seem glued to using our phones for long periods.

To address this problem, Google has announced the arrival of Pause Point. The feature will make the phone pause operations momentarily, with the aim of preventing users from becoming too addicted to their devices.

“Android is more capable than before, but we also want to provide tools to disconnect when needed,” said Dieter Bohn, director of operations for Google’s Platform & Ecosystem organisation, quoted from Tech Crunch, Wednesday (13/5/2026).

Pause Point will provide a 10-second pause after opening an app labelled as a distraction, such as TikTok, Instagram, X, or even Google’s own YouTube.

Google wants the time given to be used by users for other things. For example, doing a short breathing exercise or thinking about something other than scrolling the screen.

This feature can also suggest more beneficial apps, such as fitness applications, audiobooks, Kindle, or Google Play Books.

Pause Point also provides an app timer function before use. So the time spent in the app is planned from the start.

Tech Crunch notes that the feature is harder to turn off than traditional app timers. To deactivate it, the phone must first be turned off.