Android 17 Adds OS-Wide ECH to Hide Website Visits From Network Providers
Google announced Android 17 will enforce OS-wide Encrypted Client Hello with ECH GREASE, plus Certificate Transparency by default and carrier 2G disablement.
Google announced Android 17 network security protections headlined by OS-wide support for Encrypted Client Hello (ECH), with ECH GREASE enabled by default so connections to non-ECH servers look identical. Google's Jigsaw noted OkHttp has integrated ECH, letting third-party Android apps adopt the standard. The release also enforces Local Network Protection permission prompts, enables Certificate Transparency by default, and lets carriers turn off 2G by default to prevent downgrade attacks, rogue base stations, and SMS blasters. ECH was previously added to Chrome 117 and Firefox 118 at the browser level only.