Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1: What’s New?

New Delhi, December 18, 2025: Just weeks after the stable release of Android 16, Google has already pivoted to the future with the launch of Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1. This “Quarterly Platform Release” serves as the testing ground for features expected to arrive in the March 2026 Feature Drop.

While QPR updates often focus on under-the-hood stability, Beta 1 is surprisingly packed with highly requested visual and functional tweaks. Here is everything new in the latest build.

1. Flashlight Brightness Controls

The most notable addition is a granular control for the LED flash. For years, the Android flashlight has been a simple on/off toggle. Now, by long-pressing the Flashlight tile in Quick Settings, users are greeted with a new “Flashlight Strength” panel.

This UI features a vertical slider shaped like a beam of light. As you slide up, the “beam” graphic widens to indicate higher intensity. This is a game-changer for users who find the default flash too harsh for nighttime reading or navigating a dark room without waking others.

2. Customizable Three-Button Navigation

In a rare move that embraces legacy navigation, Google is finally letting users swap the order of the three-button navigation bar. You can now choose between the traditional Android layout (Back, Home, Recents) and the “flipped” layout popular on Samsung devices (Recents, Home, Back). This setting is tucked away under Settings > System > Navigation mode via a new gear icon.

3. Enhanced Privacy: The Blue Location Dot

Android 12 famously introduced green dots in the status bar to show when the camera or microphone was active. Android 16 QPR3 expands this to location privacy. When an app accesses your GPS, a blue chip or dot now appears. Tapping it opens a revamped “Microphone, Camera & Location” menu that lists exactly which apps are tracking you in real-time, making it easier to spot “stealthy” background apps.

4. New “Dolly Zoom” Folder Animations

The Pixel Launcher is getting a subtle but stylish upgrade. When opening app folders on the home screen, Google has introduced a “Dolly Zoom” (or Hitchcock zoom) effect. The folder expands toward the user while the wallpaper slightly recedes, creating a sense of depth that makes the interface feel more modern and responsive.

5. At a Glance Customization

The “At a Glance” widget, a permanent fixture on Pixel home screens for years, is becoming more flexible. Users can now finally toggle the widget off entirely, allowing for a cleaner home screen or more room for custom widgets. Additionally, the lock screen version of the widget has seen minor layout tweaks, such as flipping the positions of the date and weather.

6. Developer & Productivity Boosts

• Wireless ADB Auto-Reconnect: Developers will appreciate that Wireless Debugging now automatically reconnects when the phone joins a “trusted” Wi-Fi network.
• External Display Casting: Building on the ability to record external displays, you can now cast screen content directly to a second monitor.

How to Get It

Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 is available for Pixel 6 and newer devices (including the Pixel Tablet and Fold). If you are already enrolled in the Android Beta Program, the update should arrive as an Over-the-Air (OTA) notification. However, be warned: if you install this beta, you likely won’t be able to exit to the stable version without a full data wipe until March 2026.