Google Releases Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 For Pixel Devices

Amid all the excitement surrounding Samsung's grandiose Galaxy Unpacked event, things are heating up at Google as well. The company has released the third beta for Android 13's Quarterly Platform Release (QPR) for Pixel devices.

After Google released QPR2 Beta 2.1 last month, which included some much-needed fixes for 5G and Bluetooth, the latest QPR2 Beta 3 aims to resolve issues and squash bugs in this incremental update.

What's New In Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3?

The Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 update isn't a game changer in terms of how Android works or looks-though it does include a minor tweak to the wallpaper picker, it delivers a slew of bug fixes and patches that plagued Pixel devices during the early beta period.

The latest beta release's build number is T2B3.230109.002. The security patch level remains unchanged, so it is still January 2023, but the new build raises the Google Play services version from 22.41.13 to 23.03.13.

Here's the official changelog from the Android Developers' site:

Developer-reported and user-reported issues

• Fixed an issue where notifications in a notification group were sometimes displayed with straight corners instead of rounded corners. (Issue #264287776, Issue #265529116)
• Fixed an issue where the message in the notification shade that indicates an active VPN connection overlapped with the message about apps with active foreground services. (Issue #266075977)
• Fixed an issue where the overflow menu couldn't be accessed when editing Quick Settings tiles. (Issue #263484657)
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused a device with vibration enabled to vibrate for too long after it received a notification. (Issue #239676913)

Other resolved issues

• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused messaging apps to crash or fail to send notifications.
• Fixed a GPU issue that prevented apps from using certain visual effects.
• Fixed an issue where Quick Settings tiles for a work profile were not added after setting up a new device.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the Pixel launcher to crash when using the Search bar in the app drawer.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented a device from being unlocked using a pattern after the Google Assistant was activated.
• Fixed an issue in the com.android.qns system process that sometimes caused crashes.
• Fixed an issue with the Pixel launcher that prevented Chinese text input from being recognized when typing in the Search bar in the app drawer.
• Fixed an issue where when entering and exiting Picture-in-picture (PiP) mode from an app after changing the screen orientation, the system Settings app crashed with a "Settings keeps stopping" message and then the system Settings app couldn't be opened.
• Fixed an issue with the System UI that sometimes caused it to crash from a null pointer exception.
• Fixed an issue where the connection status of a Bluetooth device sometimes did not match the actual device state.
• Fixed an issue where the Pixel launcher crashed when a user tapped a web search suggestion for a query term.
• Fixed an issue that caused status bar icons to overlap with the date text when font and display settings were set to their maximum level on a device.

Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 Spruces Up Wallpaper Picker

In a Twitter post, Android expert Mishaal Rehman revealed that Google is changing the Wallpaper & Style settings menu on Pixel devices for QPR2. The most noticeable change is the larger preview screen, which gives users a better idea of how a new wallpaper will look on their device. While such a preview was available with an additional tap, the QPR2 Beta 3 defaults to the larger look.

How To Get The Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 Update?

Google has released Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 for eligible Pixel devices, which include the Pixel 4a and 4a (5G); Pixel 5 and 5a; Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a; and Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. For those feeling adventurous, there is an option to download the OTA update directly, or even a full factory image.