Android 17 auto-routes video and voice calls to premium 5G slices

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Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority

TL;DR

Android 17 introduces platform-level support that automatically routes over-the-top voice and video call traffic to premium 5G network slices, enabling lag-free calls even in crowded locations.

The OS uses Telecom Jetpack APIs to identify active calls by an app’s UID, eliminating the need for developers to manually build slicing capabilities or handle carrier upsell flows.

However, carriers will need to provide the dedicated 5G network slice for voice and video call traffic, and it may come at a premium.

Google recently rolled out Android 17 to Pixel devices. While the update brings plenty of noteworthy changes, like App Bubbles and Screen Reactions , a network-related upgrade has quietly flown under the radar. Android 17 supports automatic routing of over-the-top (OTT) voice and video calls to premium network connections via 5G network slicing, and that’s big news for your next WhatsApp or Zoom video call over mobile data.

What is 5G network slicing?

5G network slicing is a core network feature that allows carriers to partition, i.e., slice, one 5G network into multiple isolated virtual networks with different characteristics. Thus, instead of treating all internet traffic equally, network slicing enables carriers to allocate different resources to different types of traffic and even to specific customer segments. This opens up carriers and network operators to provide customized lanes for specific use cases, such as ultra-low latency or high bandwidth, on their 5G Standalone (5G SA) networks.