I think a lot of people would agree that the Android 16 QPR1 update is the “real” update that we’ve all been waiting for – but is it any good? Spoiler alert: it is, but here’s everything you need to know.
It’s hard to deny that since Android 12, there hasn’t been a major shift in how Android looks, feels, and operates, at least from an end-user perspective. Sure, there have been some minor visual changes and some small aesthetic alterations, but mostly, Material You has been the same way to experience using a Pixel phone, no matter the model.
I think that is why there is a clamour for change from those who use Pixel each and every day. I’ll speak from my own perspective that while I do always carry a Pixel phone, I am more enticed by One UI and OxygenOS every single day. In fact, I have been switching between the two with my main SIM due to some falling out with how the Pixel software experience, despite being excellent, has almost stopped really developing visually since Android 13 was released.
Android 16 QPR1 and the huge Material 3 Expressive overhaul feels like a bit of a turning point. It’s a restart that will coincide with the 10th iteration of Pixel phones and although it’s only in its first beta incarnation, it’s already shaping up to be a vastly superior experience. Here’s what you need to know about many of the changes we’ve been playing with.
Table of contents
Let’s just get right into the biggest Android 15 QPR1 Beta changes right away. Bear in mind this update dropped during IO which meant we’re not necessarily being as meticulous as usual, but this is one hell of a highlight reel.
Quick Settings and notifications + Volume controls
While leaks effectively revealed many changes, we knew that the Android 16 QPR1 update made substantial changes to the Quick Settings panel. Most notably, the new animations add lots of bounce and elasticity; there is a little extra background blur on the panel, but it extends far beyond that. The layout is now better at what I’d described as snapping similar sections together. When you dismiss a notification, it has a lovely bounce and unsticks before disappearing.
Interactions with notifications now feel more impactful in the right ways. You see more of this interface adjust and move when swiping or playing with the area. I’m not sure the new bottom QS panel buttons are visually in-keeping with the rest of Android 16 because the, frankly massive, “Clear all” button looks a bit like something out of an accessilbe phone UI, but it’s immediately obvious that you can wipe away anything bogging down this area with a single button press.
The most significant change is in the new toggles section. The pills stick around for the first 4 in your layout, but then they are changed to smaller buttons, which means you can have up to 10 when fully expanded. You can resize these up or down to suit whatever layout you want and the toggles are categorized. When you have something active, the toggle is colored to Dynamic Color settings, but it’s also changed to a boxy shape to quickly notify you. When inactive, it’s back to a glassy, almost oblong.
It’s a sort of halfway step between how we used to have QS toggles, but with aesthetically pleasing visual cues thrown in. Maybe I’m not quite sold on it just yet, but it’s way better if you want pure utility within the Quick Settings portion of your phone.
There are a couple of cool things here, though. When you one-tap the Modes and Bluetooth tiles, they will just enable and disable, but the Wi-Fi toggle still brings up the pop-up menu. I wish it was the same for the Wi-Fi option in Android 16 QPR1, but it is what it is. The animations are super slick here, no matter what you’re doing. There’s a mini sideways bounce when tapping or resizing that I absolutely love, as it’s this attention to detail that elevates the software experience on Pixel above most other Android skins.
You’ll also spot that the brightness slider has a whopping great draggable line. This is the new iconography or tool that is also present on the volume controls that appear when tapping the volume rocker. There’s a tiny little dot that indicates the top volume too which you can just tap to go to max volume instantly.
Click the pop-up Volume pane and has lots of changes including those new tabbed sliders, plus some other little button changes to ensure cohesiveness. The glassy buttons do look a little odd, so I’m wondering if that is something that might get changed in the next beta.
Status bar redesign + new battery icon
I’m not sure how I feel about the status bar redesign, which now has “new” Wi-Fi and signal status icons. They’re broken up and detached to better show the connection strength, kind of like how it works in One UI, MIUI, and OxygenOS. The signal and Wi-Fi icons are swapped around, too, which I can’t say I like as it affects my own muscle memory, but it is what it is. At least it’s in keeping with the other system UI changes.
Now, the battery icon, which is very, very different. If you have the battery level active, it is now inside the icon, so it’s much larger. The battery icon is also sideways, which again, I’m not too convinced by, as I liked the old version to be, completely honest. When your battery gets low, it turns red, and when charging, it turns vivid green. These feel like small changes on the surface, but we’ve not seen a change to this area of your phone for 5 or 6 years now, maybe longer. Maybe I’d like the option to go back to the old style. However, I get that it’s a case of one thing at a time because homescreen customization is going to be a bigger component than over the past 4 or so years.
Homescreen customisation
Finally, we’re getting the ability to make changes again as the Pixel Launcher is getting custom icon shapes back but here’s the bad news: the option isn’t live yet in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1. “Themed icons” is the only toggle available, but the Wallpaper & style app sort of alludes to this just showing “circle” and “default” within the main app view. I was really looking forward to playing around with various icon shapes, styles, and hopefully fonts as there is a brand new system font in this update.
It’s a bit more bubbly, I’m not the exact font used, but it’s 100% giving me Comic Sans vibes for better or worse. The closest approximation to my own (fairly untrained eye) is the Oppo Sans font but with a bit more playfulness thrown in. You might not even notice it at first, but it’s there. Trust me.
The entire Wallpaper & style app has had an overhaul though, it’s full of lovely animations with the shortcut section being better organized, the whole thing is improved in the right ways but it can be a little buggy at this stage – as this is a beta at the end of the day.
One tiny thing, literally, you might notice is that the At a Glance widget has also shrunk ever so slightly. It’s not removable, but any changes are welcome to get more content on screen, including more integrated widgets in that panel.
You can also now add effects to your wallpaper if you really want to. For instance, a shaped cutout, or even fake weather effects like snow, fog, rain, sun, or have it mimic the local weather at your current location. The subjects on the wallpaper will react to the conditions too, like snow build up, or shimmer from the sunshine. It’s cringeworthy in the best way, in my opinion. Just choose a photo and tap effects to get started.
The Recents app menu in Android 16 QPR1 has some changes to the layout with little tap drop down header toggles and name labels which allows you to quickly do app actions like enter splitscreen, pause, screenshot and all that jazz including Freeform windows on Pixel Fold – which correct me if I’m wrong but appears to be live by default here i”m not 100% on that though. Also, the Dock has a gorgeous new animation that swooshes in and feels like the kind of Google-y animation that compels you to play around with when you don’t know what to do on your device – or is that just me?
The Screenshot and Select buttons have proper oblong holsters now, rather than just floating text. I think making it obvious to people that you can tap these is a good thing. My parents use A-series devices and they simply saw these at text placeholders for the longest time. A dedicated button outline feels like a sensible UI design choice to get people to use what are very useful functions on your phone.
The App Drawer no longer being full-screen but rather a floating sheet isn’t exactly a huge change. I can take it or leave it. That said, the Google Search widget being themed by default feels like it at least shows that Dynamic Color isn’t going anywhere.
Settings
The Settings menu has undergone a huge overhaul. Practically everything is new: toggles, fonts, colors, and layouts. Without going in too deep, there are a lot of isolated little layouts and stuff, too. There are also better animations across the board, which are in keeping with much of the Android 16 QPR1 alterations across practically every area of the system.
I haven’t yet been about to test the re-emerged “Audio sharing” function, but I’m hopeful that it’s finally going to launch properly with this update providing it’s ready for the masses.
Lockscreen
The lockscreen has a few changes, firstly when you login there is a brand new PIN entry screen with new buttons and the bolder numbers or characters. You still get the material you icon animation to obscure the passcode.
There are some customization options coming over from Wallpaper & Style. The default two-line clock is customizable, with the ability to adjust the thickness of the font with a slider. The changes are wild here, too. There are drastic alterations based on where on the slider you have pushed to. I like it, to be honest, but nothing else really major has emerged from the other lock screen clocks yet.
Lockscreen notification controls are leveling up here. Users can choose between a full list and a compact view and have more customization options, like disabling silent notifications or removing seen notifications. This is cleaning up an area that can get busy or congested.
Android 16 QPR1 feels long overdue
For a number of years, it’s been clear that Android is due a visual update or an upgrade. One of my biggest gripes in recent years is that while I do enjoy using a Pixel, save some of the hardware alterations, moving from one phone to another hasn’t really offered much differentiation in use-case. Sure, you might get a few admittedly minor features or even apps, but since the Pixel 6, we’ve practically used the same visuals.
I will concur that this a great for consistency. It’s great for familiarity, but sometimes a change is good for keeping things fresh. If there is one thing you can say about Android 16 QPR1, it’s certainly a fresh take and, to me, a welcome take that I really am looking forward to sinking my teeth into as the betas progress. Right now, there isn’t much missing. For all intents and purposes, it’s more or less feature complete, and it’s 100% worth test driving on your phone – something I wouldn’t say often about a beta phase.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments