The third Beta of the QPR3 of Android 12 has been released for supported Google Pixel smartphones, i.e. from 4 onwards. Apparently compared to the previous build there are no too striking news: in addition to the May patches, the changelog indicates some bug fixes including:
- Fixed an issue on Pixel 6 Pro where a white line appeared briefly after waking up the smartphone in case it was configured to not always display usage time and other information in the lock screen
- Fixed various issues to improve call quality and connectivity
- Fixed a keystore issue [ambiente software dove si immagazzinano i certificati di sicurezza] which caused the NHS COVID-19 app to crash [National Health Service] on startup
There is also a couple of known issues. One affects only the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, and results in sporadic system crashes when attempting to take a photo via the camera app; the other involves all smartphones but always concerns the camera app – fortunately it is less serious: the icon could show the indicator of a work profile when in reality the personal / private one is active.
An important detail to note is that if you update your device to this Beta 3 it will no longer be possible to upgrade to Android 13 Beta 2 when it comes out (for now we are at 1): it is part of a series of restrictions and limitations that substantially derive from the presence of two parallel Beta channels of the operating system. For example, it is not even possible to upgrade to QPR3 Beta 3 if you have already installed the May security patches on the stable channel. To clarify: we are talking about relatively “painless” OTA updates that preserve saved data. In other words, the user can always flash the Factory Image of the build he prefers, but the process involves a factory reset.
As usual, the QPR3 Beta 3 will arrive via OTA to the affected smartphones over the next few days. Recall that the QPR (Quarterly Platform Release 3) initiative is a sort of heir to the Feature Drops: in essence, Google releases new features for its smartphones every three months, without prejudice to the monthly patches that solve security problems and fix bugs. QPR3 is expected to arrive in stable form in June, then we can expect the QPR4 in September, the 5 in December and so on (always preceded by special Beta programs). Below are the Factory and OTA Image for all supported devices:
- Pixel 6 Pro: S3B1.220420.005 | Factory / OTA
- Pixel 6: S3B1.220420.005 | Factory / OTA
- Pixel 5a: S3B1.220420.005 | Factory / OTA
- Pixel 5: S3B1.220420.005 | Factory / OTA
- Pixel 4a 5G: S3B1.220420.005 | Factory / OTA
- Pixel 4a: S3B1.220420.005 | Factory / OTA
- Pixel 4 XL: S3B1.220420.005 | Factory / OTA
- Pixel 4: S3B1.220420.005 | Factory / OTA
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- Google Pixel 6 Pro is available online from Bpm power to 851 euros or from eBay to 899 euros.
- Google Pixel 6 is available online from Bpm power to 589 euros or from eBay to 679 euros.
Available on: Pixel 6 Pro for 900 euros and Pixel 6 for 629 euros. (Update February 28, 2022, 09:22)
