Pixel Beta Users, You Need to Flash This Update

It’s apparently Pixel week, folks. Google is now pushing out Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3.1 to supported Pixel devices. This is a bug squasher update, but after looking at the changelog, there was apparently a lot of bugs that needed fixing.

Google specifically lists the update as “minor,” but inside you’ll find fixes for Quick Settings dialogs, device unlocking issues, degraded audio quality, as well as quite a few foldable phone fixes. See the entire list of fixes below.

Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3.1 Release Details: Below are the details for the new build number to be on the lookout for.

Release date: January 24, 2024
Build: AP11.231215.009
Emulator support: x86 (64-bit), ARM (v8-A)
Security patch level: January 2024
Google Play services: 23.45.23

Fixed Issues

• Fixed an issue that prevented overlays such as the Game Dashboard from opening while the device was in landscape mode. (Issue #312516206)
• Fixed an issue where the device sometimes failed to unlock if always-on display mode was enabled and the user tried to use their fingerprint to unlock the device.
• Fixed an issue where the height of the Quick Settings dialog that lists Bluetooth devices sometimes expanded unexpectedly.
• Fixed an issue where the default search engine for the device would sometimes be set to the wrong provider after restoring device data from a cloud backup.
• Fixed an issue where the display area of Quick Settings didn’t update correctly after changing the system display size in accessibility settings.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused degraded audio quality when making calls or recording using the microphone.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented a user from changing device keyboard settings.
• Fixed an issue that caused some translations to be missing for various languages.
• Fixed an issue where work profile icons were not shown for work apps when the work profile was paused.
• Fixed an issue that caused some shaders to render incorrectly.
• Fixed an issue where icons sometimes scaled incorrectly when entering picture-in-picture mode while the device was rotated.
• Fixed an issue for foldable devices where the launcher was sometimes empty if the device was locked while unfolded and then unlocked after the device was folded.
• Fixed an issue for foldable devices where, after folding or unfolding the device and then launching a pair of apps that were already open in split-screen mode, the app divider stopped responding to touch controls.
• Fixed an issue for foldable devices where the screen sometimes flickered when unfolding the device.
• Fixed an issue for tablet devices that sometimes caused a gray screen to briefly flash when dismissing some on screen activities.
• Fixed an issue for tablet devices that caused the touch targets for taskbar icons and navigation buttons to be smaller than usual.
• Fixed various issues that were impacting system stability, performance, connectivity, camera, and accessibility.

Once flashed onto your Pixel device, Google notes that the following issues may arise and you should note that the Android team is aware of them.

• A native crash issue in /system/bin/surfaceflinger sometimes causes devices to reboot unexpectedly.
• A system connectivity issue sometimes causes both outgoing and incoming calls to fail to connect.
• For foldable or tablet devices, the UI navigation handle that allows a user to access the taskbar after launching an app sometimes renders too dark or too light (depending on the system theme), making it difficult to see and interact with.
• An issue with the system UI sometimes causes app icons to display in the wrong locations after setting up the device.

To check for the QPR2 Beta 3.1 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.

// Google