What you need to know
- Google has released Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3 for Pixel devices with new features and stability fixes.
- The update adds a “+” button to app shortcuts, making it easier to pin them directly to the home screen.
- Other changes include a Live Caption shortcut in the volume controls and larger icons in the search bar.
- The stable Android 16 QPR2 update is expected to roll out to all users in December 2025.
It’s only been a few months since Google rolled out the Android 16 QPR1 update, which introduced the Material 3 Expressive design language to older Pixel devices. Today, the company released Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3 for Pixel phones after a few weeks of public testing.
As expected, subsequent QPR beta releases mainly focus on stability and bug fixes, but QPR2 Beta 3 also includes a few new features. The previous QPR2 beta added customizable icon shapes, and this version makes it easier to add app shortcuts directly to the Home screen.
App shortcuts are nothing new on Android. They’ve been around for years and appear when you long-press an app icon. For example, a long press on the YouTube app reveals shortcuts like Subscriptions, Shorts, and Search. These could previously be added to the home screen, but with Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3, Google now includes a “+” button next to each shortcut, making it more obvious whether they can be pinned to the home screen.
Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3 focuses on fixes and small tweaks
There are also some minor changes in this version. A Live Caption shortcut has been added directly to the volume control menu, and the microphone, Google Lens, and AI mode icons in the home screen search bar are now slightly larger for better visibility.
Beyond these additions, the update includes several bug fixes. It fixes an issue where Google Play system updates could not be installed for some users, as well as an issue where devices were charged to 100% even when Adaptive charging has been activated. You can check out the full release notes for Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3 below:
- Google Play system updates were failing to install for some users.
- Home screen shortcuts appeared as empty gray circles.
- The wallet icon on your lock screen may sometimes appear with incorrect coloring.
- Battery charged to 100% when adaptive charging is enabled.
- The swipe up from bottom gesture sometimes stopped working.
- The theme you selected might not apply on the first attempt.
- 50MP images captured with the ultra-wide or telephoto lens displayed rainbow artifacts.
- Poor battery life due to excessive CPU usage by the launcher, especially on foldable devices.
- Calls may incorrectly route Bluetooth audio.
- New Zealand users could not access all 6GHz Wi-Fi networks.
- The Terminal app would crash if you changed the font size of your device’s UI while it was open.
- Users were unable to enter special characters such as “*”, “@”, or “#” in the GUI terminal.
- Swiping the lock screen widgets and notification shade at the same time caused buggy animations and a slow, unresponsive UI.
- The screen would sometimes become unresponsive or freeze when unlocking the device.
- The display freezes and the screen noise.
- Unexpected device failures.
If you want to try the latest Android 16 beta, make sure your Pixel is enrolled in the Android beta program. OTA updates have already started rolling out, but if they haven’t appeared on your device yet, you can download or download them. flash factory image manually. Alternatively, if you prefer to wait for the stable release, the final version of Android 16 QPR2 is expected to arrive in December 2025.
