Following a major release two weeks ago, Google has begun rolling out Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 for Pixel devices. As of Friday afternoon, the Pixel 11 series is not yet compatible, but Google says support will arrive soon.
Here’s everything new in Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 [Gallery]
Android 17 QPR2 adds status bar customization for notifications and system icons
With Beta 4, Android 17 QPR2 has reached platform stability. This build focuses on fixes for a broad set of stability, performance, and usability issues reported by developers and testers. Key addressed problems include:
- Fix for a transparent status bar that could appear on the launcher after exiting fullscreen video when the developer option to render apps below the display cutout was enabled.
- Resolution of a thermal management bug that could cause devices to overheat and unexpectedly reboot during use.
- Fixes to restore screen mirroring functionality to external USB-C XR glasses.
- Improved reliability of gesture navigation when apps render content below the display cutout area.
- Optimization of the 80% battery limit behavior that previously caused excessive charging times during the final 2% threshold.
- Launcher search input bug fixes so that typing in the app drawer search reliably registers and filters results.
- Correction of a missing background blur effect behind the navigation bar when invoking the power menu via hardware buttons.
- Audio routing fixes to ensure phone call audio defaults to connected Bluetooth devices rather than the phone speaker.
- Addressed Recents app switcher rendering issues where the first task card could intermittently freeze or clip behind other apps during horizontal scrolling.
- Fix for an audio service resource lock triggered during screen recording that could prevent the microphone from working across apps and input methods until a device restart.
- System UI visual consistency improvements, including restoring the expected power-button screen-off animation when turning off the screen from the home screen.
- Improved dark-mode contrast for small icons, such as the connected Wi‑Fi settings cog, to make UI elements more visible.
- Fix for 3D mode on connected smart glasses that previously could result in a blank display.
- Resolved notification shade issues that could prevent the notification bar from being pulled down fully.
- Stability improvements for WebGL applications to prevent freezes or browser crashes that were linked to certain GPU driver texture processing behaviors.
- Addressed low-light Face Unlock failures that could bypass Fingerprint Unlock and force PIN entry, improving biometric reliability in dim conditions.
If you encounter problems while testing Beta 4, you can report bugs using the Android Beta Feedback app on Pixel devices. Open the app from the application drawer or Quick Settings to file issues in Google’s tracker. There is also an active Android Beta community on Reddit where testers discuss findings and workarounds.
Beta 4 is available in several build packages for different Pixel models:
- CP41.260814.003.A2: Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet
- CP41.260814.003.B1: Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a, Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9a, Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Pixel 10a
- CP41.260814.003.C2: Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, Pixel 11 Pro Fold — will be available soon
Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 system images are provided for a wide range of Pixel hardware and for the Android Emulator. If you prefer over-the-air updates, you can join the Android Beta Program to receive Beta builds on-device.
This Beta 4 release represents an important step toward a stable public QPR2 update. It consolidates a number of critical fixes reported during earlier betas and by Pixel users, improving device reliability, audio and display behavior, biometric consistency, and developer-facing APIs. Testers and developers are encouraged to install the build, exercise their apps and workflows, and report new issues so they can be tracked and resolved before a final public rollout.