Android 17 QPR3 Beta 3 Restores App Lock and Fixes 26 Pixel Bugs

Google has released the third beta of Android 17 QPR3 for Pixel phones, and it does two things at once: it fixes 26 listed bugs and it brings back several features that were removed from earlier QPR betas. The most notable returning feature is a built-in app lock. The update arrives less than a month after the first beta in this series, according to Android Police.

Features that are back

Google’s Android community manager, Mishaal Rahman, pointed out in a post on X that this build restores items that had disappeared from previous QPR betas. Android Police lists these changes:

• Native app lock: You can protect individual apps from unauthorized access. Google’s version uses your existing device credentials, so you cannot set a separate PIN, pattern or password just for locked apps.
• Lock screen blur: The blur effect returns on lock screen shortcuts, the fingerprint button and notifications.
• Bubbles from Recents: You can open apps as bubbles directly from the Recents menu. This should help people who use a third-party launcher instead of the stock Pixel Launcher.
• Camera tile: A new Quick Settings tile gives you another way to start the camera app.
• Alarm time with AM or PM: The lock screen now shows whether your next alarm is in the morning or the evening.

What Google fixed

Google’s release notes, reproduced by both Android Police and 9to5Google, list 26 fixes. Many address everyday annoyances:

• Display problems, including the screen randomly turning off and on, wallpaper showing incorrectly on the lock screen, and the inner screen staying black when a foldable is opened.
• Interface glitches such as flickering in the Recents overview, icons that appear as blank white squares in dark mode, grayed-out grouped notifications and a mis-sized mobile data tile in Quick Settings.
• Stability issues, including intermittent crashes on the lock screen or soon after startup, and apps that crash when a Bluetooth scan is stopped in a particular way.
• Connectivity and media fixes, for example Wi-Fi connections that failed on WPA-Enterprise networks using PEAP authentication, and poor video quality when a Pixel is used as a webcam.
• Smaller items like a Force stop button that did not end running apps and equalizer bars cut off at the top of the screen.

Which phones get it

According to 9to5Google, system images are available for a long list of devices, starting with the Pixel 6a and running through the Pixel 11 family. That includes the Pixel Tablet, the Pixel Fold models and the Android Emulator. Over-the-air updates use build number DP11.261016.003 for Pixel 6a through Pixel 10 devices. The Pixel 11 family, including the XL, Pro and Fold models, gets build DP11.261016.004.

Your phone must already be enrolled in the Android Beta program to get the update over the air. Google asks testers to report problems through the Android Beta Feedback app, which is in the app drawer and Quick Settings.

Why it matters for readers

If you already run the beta, this build is likely to be a smoother daily experience and brings back features you may have missed, particularly app lock. If you are on the stable release, nothing changes for you now. Beta software can still have bugs, and the sources note that this is a pre-release build, so it is not ideal for a phone you rely on for work or banking.

The return of app lock and bubbles also hints at which features Google may be keeping for the final release, though neither source says so. Features removed from a beta can still change again before a public launch.

What is still unknown

The sources do not say when Android 17 QPR3 will reach the stable channel, how many more betas Google plans, or whether the restored features will all ship. Pixel owners who want these features without beta risk will need to wait for an official release announcement from Google.

Sources: Android Police, 9to5Google