If you’ve installed the stable version of Android 16 on your Pixel, you might be disappointed to find that the big visual refresh Google announced on May 13 is conspicuous by its absence. An unfortunate consequence of the new platform release schedule is that some of the more notable new Android 16 features won’t be arriving until the Android 16 QPR1 update in early September. That means that even though there’s plenty of goodness in the initial stable release — like Live Updates and adaptive apps — most people will have to wait a little longer before getting their eyes on the Material 3 Expressive redesign and trying out the nifty new desktop mode.
If you’re happy to run beta software on your daily driver, or you have a spare Pixel lying about, the QPR1 Beta has been available to test since May 20. It includes plenty of redesigned interfaces, fresh animations, updated typography, and new features. I’ve been testing out the beta, which is on its third version at the time of writing with QPR1 Beta 2, and there’s lots to dissect. Some of the changes are most welcome, while some of them have me scratching my head — let’s get into it.