Practically a month after dropping the first Android 16 QPR2 beta, Google has pushed the second beta for suitable Pixel telephones. And this time, it even contains builds for its latest Pixels — the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Professional, and Pixel 10 Professional XL.
Essentially the most notable user-facing change in Android 16 QPR2 Beta 2 is the power to make use of customized app icon shapes. Apart from a circle, customers could have 4 completely different icon shapes to select from. This addition will go properly with the expanded darkish theme and auto-theme app icons characteristic launched in Beta 1.
Past that, many of the replace focuses on under-the-hood enhancements and refinements. This features a extra environment friendly rubbish assortment that may assist cut back CPU utilization throughout rubbish assortment, resulting in a much less janky expertise in apps and decrease energy consumption. One other spotlight is help for step monitoring in Well being Join.
Beneath are Google’s launch notes for Android 16 QPR2 Beta 2:
Testing developer verification
Android developer verification is a brand new requirement designed to hyperlink real-world entities (people and organizations) with their Android purposes to make it tougher for dangerous actors to unfold hurt.
Beginning in September 2026 and in particular areas, Android would require apps to be registered by verified builders to be put in on licensed Android units, with an exception made for installs made by way of the Android Debug Bridge (ADB).
As a developer, you might be free to put in apps with out verification with ADB. That is designed to help your must develop and check apps that aren’t meant or not but able to distribute to the broader client inhabitants.
For apps that allow user-initiated set up of app packages, Android 16 QPR2 Beta 2 accommodates new APIs that help developer verification throughout set up, together with a brand new adb command to allow you to pressure a verification consequence for testing functions.
The supply of messages containing an SMS retriever hash might be delayed for many apps for 3 hours to assist forestall OTP hijacking. Apps can proceed to make use of the SMS retriever API to entry messages meant for them in a well timed method.
Android 16 QPR2 permits customers to pick out from a listing of icon shapes that apply to all app icons and folder previews.
Extra environment friendly rubbish assortment
The Android Runtime (ART) now features a Generational Concurrent Mark-Compact (CMC) Rubbish Collector in Android 16 QPR2 that focuses assortment efforts on newly allotted objects, which usually tend to be rubbish. You’ll be able to count on diminished CPU utilization from rubbish assortment, a smoother person expertise with much less jank, and improved battery effectivity.
Computerized step monitoring and expanded train information in Well being Join
Well being Join now mechanically tracks steps utilizing the machine’s sensors, and the ExerciseSegment and ExerciseSession information varieties have been up to date.
Pixel 10 OTA not but dwell
In case your Pixel is already enrolled within the Android Beta Program, an OTA replace to Beta 2 (construct quantity BP41.250822.010) ought to already be obtainable for obtain in your cellphone. Alternatively, you too can flash or sideload the OTA picture manually.
For Pixel 10 house owners, this marks the primary Android 16 Quarterly Platform Launch beta they will install by way of the Beta Program. Whereas not talked about, hopefully, the beta may also embody up to date GPU drivers to enhance the GPU efficiency. Nevertheless, the OTA for Beta 2 just isn’t but dwell for the brand new Pixels. The OTA photographs will be downloaded from Android’s developer web site, and you’ll all the time manually sideload the beta if you cannot await Google to push the OTA.
Based mostly on Google’s launch timeline, the subsequent Android 16 QPR2 beta will arrive in November, with the OS hitting platform stability.