Google fixed eight annoying Android 17 bugs. However, support for a still popular series is ending at the same time

A release that doesn’t contain a single new feature usually doesn’t make headlines. This one deserves them, because Google has finally addressed bugs that Pixel owners have been talking about for months. And on that occasion, it quietly removed one phone from the list.

Eight fixes you’ll notice in everyday use

Android 17 QPR2 Beta 1 was released on July 20 with build CP41.260701.005 and the July 5 security patch. This is the first test build of the quarterly update, which will reach users as the December Feature Drop. According to Google, it contains no planned behavior changes, so developers don’t have to worry about incompatibility.

More interesting is the list of what will stop being annoying:

• System crash when launching Gemini – the phone restarted instead of the assistant
• Bluetooth that won’t reconnect after losing pairing, without any notification
• Disappearing notifications, which only returned to the bar after a phone restart
• Player controls that flickered on the lock screen even for apps with notifications turned off
• App stopped receiving touches after a multi-touch drag gesture
• Window-level blur not rendering and the same setting not persisting after a restart

The first two points are worth emphasizing. Bluetooth silently disconnects from headphones, car radios, and speakers – precisely where you’ll only notice it when something isn’t playing. And a restart when calling Gemini is a system crash for a feature that Google promotes as a main selling point of its phones.

Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are missing from the list

The beta will be available for devices from Pixel 6a upwards, meaning the 7, 8, 9, and 10 series, plus Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet. The original Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are not on the list, even though they received the stable July Android 17 update at the beginning of July and were supported in the previous test branch.

The reason is simple: both phones have exhausted their guaranteed update period and will be five years old this October. The last branch they will receive is QPR1, which is currently heading for a stable release. This doesn’t mean an immediate end – Pixel 6 remains on stable Android 17 and continues to receive security patches. What will happen to it after the current cycle is completed, Google has not specified.

Before you sign up

The update is coming over-the-air to users enrolled in the Android Beta program; system images for manual flashing are also available. One thing deserves bold text: if you opt out of the program after installing this beta, the phone will erase all user data. Testing software on your main phone is always a gamble, especially here.

Do you prefer updates full of new features, or ones that finally fix what isn’t working?

Sources: Android Central, Android Police, TechRepublic