After the major release of Android 15 previously this year and its release on Google Pixel devices, the Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 test is announced on October 23. Testers can look for an OTA (over-the-air) update from October 24.
The Quarterly Platform Releases (QRPs) are released every quarter on the Android operating system managed by Google to improve the functioning of the Android version released. These are delivered on AOSP and Google Pixel devices as part of Feature Drops. Android 15 was made available on Pixel devices earlier this month and the new beta update features some major bug fixes.
The company provided the major bug fixes with their issue codes and the list of eligible Pixel devices. The new developer version can be downloaded on these devices over the weekend. The Quarterly Platform Release is expected to be the next feature drop and will most probably be released in December this year.
The Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 announcement was through a Reddit post with the build number for the update AP41.240925.009, and the list of system fixes made. The post notes twelve issues fixed and the first one stated is an issue that sometimes caused notifications to be displayed with some content that was cut off.
They have fixed an issue with system memory paging that sometimes caused devices to crash and restart, fixed an issue with the volume buttons not working while connecting to certain Bluetooth devices, an issue where the app icons on the home screen were displaying the default system icon instead of the app icon was fixed, and fixed the issue that sometimes caused a device to run slowly and sometimes crash when switching back to the primary user from the secondary user.
The Reddit post also points out the issues fixed like an issue that caused the system UI to crash, an issue for foldable devices where the screen sometimes went blank when unfolding the device, an issue that sometimes prevented users from interacting with heads-up notifications, an issue that caused the system to crash while taking a bug report, fixed various issues that impacted system stability, connectivity, and interactivity, a crash in BluetoothDevice.getType() that occurred primarily in the testing environment when Bluetooth resources were reused between virtual devices, and improved LE Audio volume control by enabling independent adjustment of each connected sink’s volume using the UI and limiting volume key adjustments to the primary sink.
The new update is included in the security patch level of October 2024. The Pixel devices included that can install Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 are Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 6a, Pixel 7, 7 Pro, 7a, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet, Pixel 8, 8 Pro, 8a, Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold.
The Android developers also have provided some general advisories about the release. They have warned about various stability, battery, or performance issues, and are not suited for daily use for users with accessibility needs. Some Google apps and other apps might not run smoothly when running on the beta 3 version. It is also not Compatibility Test Suite approved even though they have passed preliminary testing.
The release comes with two primary support channels for developing and testing. Issues can be reported on the Issue Tracker option. The beta updates can be looked at on the devices that support them by clicking on Settings – System – System Updates.
The Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 was released this September and fixed some Bluetooth and NFC payment issues within Pixel devices. The updated and resolved issues can be expected in the upcoming Android 16.
