Igeekphone News, October 16th: Google has continued its almost monthly update schedule and pushed the third Beta version of Android 16 QPR2 to Pixel users who have joined the Android Beta Program. According to the foreign media Android Police’s report today, this update focuses on fixing vulnerabilities to prepare for the next major feature update planned to be launched in December.
In the second beta version of QPR2 previously, Google added custom app icon shapes, continuing the interface detail optimization brought by the first beta version. Meanwhile, it reduces the CPU usage in the garbage collection process and adds the step tracking function to Health Connect.
The third beta version mainly focused on addressing the issues previously reported by users in a concentrated manner. The numerous fixes listed in the update log include: some users were unable to install the Google Play system update, Wi-Fi 7 function failed for users in New Zealand, screen freezing or no response, etc.
Igeekphone summarizes the main fixes this time as follows:
Solve the problem that some users are unable to install Google Play system updates
Fixed the issue where home screen shortcuts were displayed as gray circles
Fixed the abnormal color of the Wallet icon on the lock screen
Fixed the issue where the battery was forced to be fully charged after enabling adaptive charging
Fix the issue where the bottom up swipe gesture occasionally malfunctions
Fix the issue where the theme did not take effect when applied for the first time
Fix rainbow artifacts when taking 50-megapixel photos with ultra-wide-angle or telephoto lenses
Reduce the CPU usage of the starter and improve battery life, especially for foldable screen devices
Fixed the Bluetooth audio output error during calls
Restore full support for 6GHz Wi-Fi networks in New Zealand
Fixed the issue where the Terminal application crashed when adjusting the font size
Fixed the issue where special symbols such as *, @, and # could not be entered in the graphic terminal
Fixed the issue of animation lag when sliding the lock screen component and the notification bar
Fix the issue where the screen is unresponsive or frozen after unlocking
Fix display anomalies and screen noise issues
Fixed random crash and restart issues
Depending on different models, the OTA package size of Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3 is approximately 500 to 600MB.
However, users who expect Google to provide a new version of the GPU driver for Pixel 10 in this update to solve performance issues may be disappointed. The third beta version still uses the old version of the driver.
If the user’s Pixel device is using the second beta version of QPR2 and the desktop mode is enabled, it must be turned off before installing the new version. Some Reddit users have reported that the installation may fail when the desktop mode is enabled, and it may even cause the device to become a soft brick.
To obtain the latest Beta version, you need to register Pixel in the Android Beta Program first. If your device has been registered but you haven’t received the OTA push yet, you can go to the Android Developer portal to manually download and flash the latest image.