New Android 17 QPR2 feature lets you peek inside your phone’s secure sandbox

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Google rolled out Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 , and alongside several under-the-hood tweaks, it introduces a major transparency upgrade for how the OS handles sensitive on-device data. The new release adds a dedicated “Data logging” section for the Private Compute Core right inside Privacy Dashboard.

Private Compute Core is Android’s isolated sandbox that powers machine learning features such as Live Caption, Now Playing, and Smart Reply, without exposing user data directly to the cloud or other apps. While Private Compute Core has historically operated in a secure silo, this new Privacy Dashboard entry in Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 lets users actively monitor, log, and review any outbound data leaving the Private Compute Core environment.

Inside the new menu, users can completely toggle “Allow data logging” on or off. When enabled, the system presents two distinct logging tiers:

Beyond real-time capture, the interface gives users direct oversight of the collected files, providing quick buttons to download the logs locally to their device or delete them entirely. The page also features a “Summary logs” section that allows users to view summaries of specific on-device intelligence features, such as Proactive Assistance.

Alongside other features spotted in this release, namely the new Agent Dashboard and one-time sideloading permissions , this logging feature within Private Compute Core builds on Google’s recent push towards greater control across the OS.

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