Don’t look now, but Android 17 QPR1 beta 1 is already here

For all the great reasons to own a Pixel phone, for a certain type of Android user, there’s nothing better than standing first in line to try out Android’s latest changes. We’re still waiting for the stable release of Android 17, Android 17 beta 4 arrived just last week, and now Google is already giving us a preview of what’s to come after that. Android 17 QPR1 Beta 1.

At the moment, the main Android 17 branch is being fine-tuned for its public release, so when it comes to some big things like adding new features, we will have to wait for its first major update, which is already being prepared for release sometime this September. And headed for that landing, it’s going to undergo a testing period of its own – a process that starts with QPR1 Beta 1.

Eligibility is the same as it was for Android 17 beta testing, and you can use any Pixel device from the Pixel 6 series up to the latest Pixel 10a to participate. If you’re looking to get started, the easiest way is to register your device Google’s beta enrollment.

On the other hand, if you’re testing Android 17 and want to get back to the stable track when it goes public in a few months, you now have the opportunity to opt out of QPR1 beta 1 and be able to return to stable without wiping your device’s data – so think carefully before proceeding.

So far, Google has shared a brief list of the improvements present in QPR1 beta 1. We’ll also be crawling through this looking for any other changes, so check back with us in the coming days for anything we find. Here’s what Google found:

• Fixed a crash in the default print service that occurred during a low ink condition that prevented users from completing print jobs. (Issue #487545419)
• The Terminal app triggers an Application Not Responding (ANR) error resulting in the application and device becoming unresponsive. (Issue #497465940)
• Fixed an issue where uncontrolled hardware audio processing on the voice transmission path caused distortion and phase cancellation in VoIP applications. (Issue #494843726)
• Playing an audio stream for more than five seconds may cause the direct audio output to fail to open on devices that use AIDL Audio HAL. (Issue #372064012)