I tried Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3: These 3 features completely changed my Pixel

Android 17 betas have been hit-and-miss with user-facing adjustments. Plus, with an exciting title like “Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3,” I wouldn’t blame you for pondering this was a fairly boring beta launch centered on bug fixes and different optimizations.

Nonetheless, after spending a number of days with the brand new beta on one among my Pixels, I’m joyful to report that there’s a shocking variety of new options to dig into. In reality, they’ve made my Pixel so significantly better than I anticipated.

Definitely, my favourite factor in Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3 is the flexibility to rearrange the Fast Settings structure. You’ve lengthy been capable of change your Fast Settings toggles, however the precise structure of the panel — together with your brightness on the prime, toggles under that, and media participant on the backside — has all the time been locked in place. However now not in Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3.

Whenever you swipe right down to view your Fast Settings and faucet the edit icon, you’ll see a brand new “Format” button on the backside of your display. Faucet this, and also you’re taken to a brand new “Edit tiles” web page the place you’ll be able to change how the Fast Settings panel is laid out.

Need your shortcut toggles on the very prime together with your brightness slider within the center? You are able to do that! What about transferring your media participant to the highest and your brightness to the underside? Certain factor. Nonetheless you need to organize these parts, Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3 provides you free rein.

I’m not significantly choosy about the place my media participant goes, however the truth that I can now have my brightness slider on the backside of the Fast Settings panel — making it a lot simpler to succeed in with one hand — is a godsend.

I’m equally excited concerning the enhancements Google made to Dynamic Colour theming. Because it at the moment stands in Android 17, Google provides you a handful of preset shade choices you’ll be able to choose to your system/accent shade primarily based in your wallpaper, and you may’t change or customise them. These work simply nice, however in case you’re a customization fiend like I’m, they’ve most likely left you wanting extra.

As you might need guessed, Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3 adjustments this. When you go to the Colours part on the Wallpaper & Type web page, you’ll be able to nonetheless select from a preset record of colours primarily based in your wallpaper, together with different primary choices which are all the time accessible. Nonetheless, you’ve a few new toys to play with.

When you faucet the pencil icon above your at the moment chosen shade, you’ll be able to select between one among 4 variations of it: Impartial, Smooth, Vibrant, and Daring. Moreover, tapping the brand new paint palette icon helps you to drag a slider to create your individual shade in case you aren’t pleased with any of the prevailing types.

Put these two issues collectively, and also you’re taking a look at a considerably higher strategy to customization on Pixel telephones. Even after only a few minutes of enjoying with these new options, I’m already lacking them on my Pixel 11 Pro operating steady Android 17.

Though I initially dismissed App Lock after downloading Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3, the extra I exploit the brand new beta, the extra I believe App Lock is likely to be sort of good.

Utilizing App Lock is easy. You press and maintain an utility (both on your property display or within the app drawer), faucet the brand new “App lock” choice, then faucet “Add app lock.” Locking an app like this does a number of issues:

• Notification content material is hidden.
• Widgets and shortcuts associated to that app are eliminated.
• You possibly can solely open the app utilizing your fingerprint, face unlock, or PIN.

The extra I give it some thought, the extra I believe App Lock could possibly be legitimately helpful for a handful of apps on my telephone. I’ve numerous buying apps put in, however I hate what number of notifications I get from all of them. And if somebody have been to come up with my telephone and one way or the other get previous the lock display, having an additional layer of safety on these apps to stop sudden buying sprees could be nice. Placing an App Lock on these apps solves each of these issues.

I’d even do the identical for apps like Reddit and X. A one-tap answer for silencing notifications from these apps sounds nice, and having some additional safety on my social media apps isn’t a foul concept, both.

If you wish to attempt these options in your Pixel for your self, the excellent news is you’ll be able to obtain Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3 proper now. Merely go to the Android Beta for Pixel website, log into your Google account, enroll your Pixel, and obtain the OTA replace to Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3. As long as you’ve a Pixel 6a or newer, you’re within the clear.

Alternatively, in case you don’t like the concept of messing with beta software program, Android 17 QPR2 ought to be totally launched someday in December — seemingly with much more options than what we see right here immediately in Beta 3.