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Android 16 hit Pixel phones in June, earlier in the year than major Android updates typically land.
It’s light on visible new features. If you didn’t know your phone was updated, you’d probably still think it was running Android 15.
But there’s a flashier update coming soon. Android 16 QPR1 is available in public beta right now, and that beta version includes some high-profile new features, like a visual overhaul and a full desktop mode.
Here’s what you need to know about Android 16 QPR1, and when you might see it on your phone.
What’s new in Android 16 QPR1 so far
Google releases significant updates to both AOSP and Android on Pixel phones quarterly, or every three months (QPR stands for Quarterly Platform Release). Android 16 QPR1, then, is the first quarterly update to Android 16.
Android 16 reached stable status in June, so we’re coming up fast on the three-month mark. QPR1 is currently in its third and final beta release and should show up on Pixel phones in stable form in a matter of weeks.
To be clear, we can’t know for sure whether the features present in the QPR1 beta will make it to the initial stable release. But as of now, we expect that QPR1 Beta 3’s high-profile features will roll out to Pixel devices and AOSP soon.
A Material 3 Expressive overhaul
The most immediately visible new feature is Material 3 Expressive (M3E) styling across Android’s user interface.
Google’s been at work bringing its updated UX design language to its apps for months now, but it was absent from the first Android 16 stable release in June.
Material 3 Expressive is meant to make Android more vibrant and engaging while also improving usability with designs that use color and shape to draw the eye to important UI elements.
OEM implementations will vary, but in AOSP and on Pixel phones, Material 3 Expressive is a pretty comprehensive overhaul.
Elements like the status bar, Quick Settings panel, and volume slider all sport new, expressive looks that are a little easier to parse at a glance than they were before.
Quick Settings also gains new functionality with the ability to resize tiles, letting you access more settings at once.
Android 16 QPR1 won’t bring UX overhauls to any particular apps. Google’s releasing Material 3 Expressive updates to its apps on an ongoing basis already, and third-party app changes are up to individual developers.
Still, assuming stable QPR1 does include M3E, it’ll be a long-overdue visual change. Android has looked and felt basically the same since 2022’s Android 13.
The update will also bring with it changes to notifications. Android 16 QPR1 introduces Live Updates, a new notification class that displays ongoing activities in clearly visible ways on the lock screen and in the status bar.
New notification features
Google
Live Updates allow Android to display a sort of live progress bar for certain types of apps, like ride-sharing and food delivery services.
App developers will have to support the feature, but iOS’s similar Live Activities feature is well supported, and it’s safe to assume Live Updates will be, too.
There’s also a change to the lock screen that I particularly enjoy.
In the Android 16 QPR1 beta, by default, only new notifications are displayed as banners on the lock screen. Notifications you’ve already seen are condensed into icons.
It’s a great tweak that, like other M3E elements, makes the lock screen easier to parse at a glance.
The beginnings of Android’s desktop interface
Google
Android 16 QPR1’s beta includes a developer settings flag that activates Android’s new desktop interface. When activated, it lets you connect your Pixel to an external monitor for a desktop-style experience that’s not too dissimilar to Samsung’s DeX.
Google actually said that this desktop interface was built on the work Samsung has done with DeX. What’s more, Android 16-based One UI 8’s version of DeX is based on Android 16’s desktop mode.
It’s likely Android 16’s desktop mode will still be tucked behind a toggle after QPR1 reaches stable.
Either way, I’m excited about it. I think Google is onto something here.
When is Android 16 QPR1 going to be released?
Android 16 hit Pixel phones in early June. With QPRs released quarterly, we would expect Android 16 QPR1 to launch three months after Android 16, in early September.
Rahman’s sources told him that QPR1 will make its way to AOSP on August 20, the same day as Google’s Pixel 10 hardware event, before reaching Pixel devices on September 3.
If you were underwhelmed about Android 16’s initial release in June, you’re not alone. To the average user, it really is nearly indistinguishable from Android 15.
Android 16 QPR1 is the update to watch, and we don’t have much longer to wait for it.
