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Updated Dec. 27 with more details of the latest Android 16 changes.
Google's updates for Android 16 are coming thick and fast. If it feels like your Pixel only had an update days ago, that's because it did. The latest beta for Android 16, called Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1, landed on Dec. 17. If you installed it, you'll know there was a lot in it -- more on that below -- and there's a new update that needs your attention now.
QPR, as you may know, stands for Quarterly Platform Release, and this latest one is expected to be in beta for a while, with the general release in March 2026.
But the recent release, which included the December 2025 security patch, brought a problem with it. Here's which phones it applies to, and what it means.
Which Pixels Work With This Update?
Oh, a lot. The full list is this: Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a, Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Pixel 9a, Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. That's every Pixel since late October 2021.
What's In The New Update?
The good news is there's only one item on the list in this update, but the bad news is it's an important bug fix, so it's worth installing.
Google says the new update will fix a change that caused some apps to crash on startup. That's something that's not only downright annoying but potentially serious, depending on which apps are affected and whether there's an easy override.
Well, that's what this update is for. Since it's a beta, the impact so far may be limited, though estimates suggest there could be 1.5 million Pixels running the latest beta.
Of course, many millions more Pixels are running the general release Android 16 software.
If you're on the beta, you need to update your Pixel. All suitable devices that are enrolled in the Android Beta for Pixel Program will be offered an over-the-air update, 9to5Google reported.
The beta release that preceded the new one, all the way back on Dec. 17, introduced some neat changes, big and small. For instance, Android users can adjust the brightness of the flashlight while it's turned on, something iPhone users have been able to do for some time. Handy if you discover the situation needs more or less light than you originally thought.
Something quite minor but also radically different is the capability to remove the At A Glance widget from the Pixel home screen. I find this useful -- it's a quick way to get at useful information or even turn on the flashlight -- but it's not vanishing. Unless you want it to.
There are more changes, including how you get notifications when an app is using your location, which will now be indicated by a blue notifier at the top right of the display.