Android 17 May Get a Native Color Picker, and This Is What It Could Look Like

It looks like Google is working on a new system app for Android called EyeDropper that’s less likely to come until Android 17. It will make it easier for apps to pick colors directly from the screen. For professionals working with images, videos, or design, getting exact colors is essential. While desktop apps and web browsers already offer color pickers, Android hasn’t had a built-in solution, until now.

Android 17 might get a native color picker called EyeDropper

Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman discovered this hidden tool while digging through the 2510 Android Canary update. As Rahman explains, EyeDropper is a small, dedicated app with one main purpose: letting other apps retrieve color information using a new API. Developers can call this API instead of building their own color pickers or relying on third-party tools. This not only saves development time but can also slightly reduce app size.

The system works through an Intent, a message an app sends to EyeDropper. The Intent is called android.intent.action.OPEN_EYE_DROPPER. When triggered, EyeDropper takes a screenshot of the current display and lets the user pick a pixel. A magnifier shows the exact pixel, and users can adjust the selection with arrow keys for precision. Once the color is selected, it is sent back to the calling app. If EyeDropper is opened manually, it doesn’t return a color because no app requested it.

EyeDropper also adapts to different devices. On large-screen setups or PCs with a mouse and keyboard, it adjusts its interface for multiple displays. On phones and tablets, it defaults to a touchscreen-friendly view. This reflects Google’s focus on Android for PCs and better support for large-screen devices.

To repeat, the app has been spotted in the Android 2510 Canary build, but it’s unlikely to appear in Android 16 updates, as the API freeze for new apps has already passed. The earliest we may see EyeDropper widely available is Android 17, though Google could potentially deliver it via a Google Play system update.