Google Android 17 QPR1 Beta 4 Update Rolls Out to Pixel Devices With Fixes for Major Bugs, Issues

Google started rolling out the first Android 17 developer beta in February to select Pixel devices. Over the months, the Mountain View-based tech giant has released multiple beta versions, bringing new features and bug fixes, allowing developers to test the software before it is rolled out to a broader user base. Recently, the company released the Android 17 Quarterly Platform Release (QPR1) Beta 4 version to Pixel phones and tablets. Available for Google Pixel 6 and new phones, the new firmware introduces various bug fixes that existed in previous beta versions and were reported by beta testers.

Android 17 QPR1 Beta 4 Update Fixes Invisible Mouse Pointer Bug

On June 10, the Mountain View-based tech giant released the latest Android 17 QPR1 Beta 4 update to Pixel devices. According to the release notes, the new firmware version brings various bug fixes. Google has highlighted seven “top” bug fixes. The new update resolves an issue where the mouse pointer would automatically become invisible on external monitors. The issue appeared when “Work profile or FLAG_SECURE applications” were in use.

On top of this, the tech giant has resolved an issue where the Settings app would stop responding or crash when a beta tester launched the credential provider settings from a “Private Space”. Similarly, in previous Android 17 beta builds, the screenshot notification sound controls were inadvertently paired with the call and alerts volume controls. This issue has been resolved in the latest QPR1 Beta 4, allowing users to take screenshots silently without lowering the alert sounds.

With the Android 17 QPR1 Beta 4 update, Google has also resolved the issue that caused the video recording in the camera to jump frames and display jitters while panning the camera at 5x zoom. Moreover, the latest update fixes the bug that caused the Back Tap gestures to fail on the “interactive lock screen”. Lastly, Google has also resolved issues related to graphics driver regressions, which resulted in performance drops.

Beta versions of most software are known to contain bugs, errors, and issues that can potentially affect a user's day-to-day device usage and functioning. As previously mentioned, Google released the first developer beta of Android 17 earlier this year in February. The stable version of the OS is expected to be released later this year. The Google Pixel 6 and newer Google smartphones, and the Google Pixel Tablet, are currently eligible to run the beta versions. However, other OEMs have also announced their Android 17 Beta Programme.