There may be a massive, past-its-prime tech conference going on at the moment in Las Vegas that isn’t worth attending anymore, but Google is still giving the rest of us toys to play with. Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3 just dropped for your Pixel device.
This new update is available immediately for all still-supported Pixel devices from the Pixel 5a up through the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, including the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet. Once live (and it should be shortly), you should be able to update right away if in the Android Beta Program or by sideloading update files.
Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3 Release Details: We don’t yet know how major this update is until we dive in, but below are the details for the new build number to be on the lookout for.
Release date: January 10, 2024
Build: AP11.231215.007
Emulator support: x86 (64-bit), ARM (v8-A)
Security patch level: January 2024
Google Play services: 23.45.23
Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3 Fixes: Google fixed at least 14 noteworthy bugs or issues in this QPR2 Beta 3. First up, we have the developer and user-reported issues that Google addressed.
- Fixed an issue where SPIR-V sequences of
OpShiftLeftfollowed byOpShiftRightdidn’t produce the expected results for ARM Vulkan driver versions 43.0 and 44.0. (Issue #314048080) - Fixed issues that sometimes caused Bluetooth connections to be interrupted for some devices. (Issue #315324137, Issue #317798832)
- Fixed issues that sometimes caused a device to crash or become unresponsive after restarting. (Issue #317282987, Issue #316689583, Issue #316188779)
- Fixed issues that in some rare cases caused devices to reboot while in idle mode. (Issue #316903919, Issue #316557374)
- Fixed an issue that caused live wallpapers to stop animating. (Issue #312869160)
- Fixed an issue that prevented Google Assistant from activating in some cases. (Issue #311934282)
And now the “other” resolved issues:
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused multi-finger gestures to stop working.
- Fixed an issue where the device’s screen didn’t initially turn on when the screen was double-tapped or the power button was pressed.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused higher than usual CPU usage during video playback.
- Fixed a system issue that sometimes caused poor audio quality or higher power consumption when making calls.
- Fixed an issue where the keyboard was always shown even if the “Swipe up to start search” setting was disabled in system settings.
- Fixed an issue where sometimes when a user unlocked the device using their fingerprint, there was no haptic feedback.
- Fixed an issue for Pixel Fold devices where sometimes after a user unlocked the device while it was folded, the inner display didn’t turn on after unfolding the device.
- Fixed various issues that were impacting system stability, performance, connectivity, camera, and accessibility.
To check for the QPR2 Beta 3 update, head into Settings>System>Software updates and tap “System update.” If live, this should begin the download process. Otherwise, we have both OTA (here) and factory images (here) available to do the thing manually.
And for those not yet in the Android 14 QPR2 Beta who want to be, sign-up here.
Is this stable enough (no major bugs and battery drain) to be a daily driver?
Looks like no fix for the battery usage stats bug that was fixed in the initial release of Android 14 but broke again in the December update. It’s not as bad as it was in Android 13 but still annoying that it isn’t accurate.
Downloading now.