Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3.1 lands with 24 bug-fixes as Google rolls out “calling cards” and more Pixel 10 leaks flood the web

There has been a lot going on in the Google Pixel space this past day with a new beta drop for Android 16, a clever tweak to how calls look on your phone, and a wave of details emerging about the Pixel 10 lineup. It’s all happening fast, so let’s break it down piece by piece.

Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3.1 out with loads of fixes

Google just pushed out Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3.1, packing in 24 bug fixes to smooth things over. This update targets a bunch of nagging issues that have been popping up for users, like random device reboots tied to Wi-Fi problems, crashes from the Context Hub running low on memory, and even the home screen glitch where the bottom row of apps and search bar vanish. Other fixes tackle overlapping notifications, quirky Quick Settings on foldables, unexpected restarts, and hangs during unlocks. Media playback on the lock screen gets a fix too, along with video call audio muting bugs, Bluetooth hiccups, and various system crashes.

If you’re enrolled in the Android Beta for Pixel program, you should see the over-the-air update soon. For those who can’t wait, OTA images are already up on Google’s developer site for manual sideloading. It carries the July 2025 security patch too.

Here’s the complete changelog:

• Device instability or reboots related to Wi-Fi by improving how the system processes network statistics. (Issue #433037402, Issue #432867183, Issue #433418936, Issue #432795362, Issue #432770117, Issue #432699126, Issue #435489862, Issue #435011484)
• The Context Hub, a low-power sensor component, would crash due to excessive use of main memory, causing device instability; resolved by optimizing memory allocation and preventing memory leaks. ( Issue #420999948, Issue #426316038)
• The home screen sometimes lost its bottom row of pinned apps and the search bar, making them inaccessible; this was fixed by adjusting how these elements reappear after screen transitions. (Issue #428088033, Issue #428405658, Issue #429817851)
• Notifications would overlap in the shade, hindering readability, by refining the notification display and dismissal animation logic. (Issue #421792538, Issue #422749237, Issue #420418750, Issue #428896474)
• An issue that caused unexpected device restarts. (Issue #427676713)
• The Quick Settings UI on unfolded foldable devices appeared clipped or misaligned due to incorrect padding caused by double-counting the camera cutout. (Issue #419184923, Issue #421879049, Issue #421810067, Issue #423172198, Issue #422560004, Issue #424116279)
• An issue that caused devices to unexpectedly reboot. (Issue #408888279, Issue #409949346, Issue #409960197, Issue #410624610, Issue #407373090, Issue #430095518)
• The status bar appearing in the Quick Settings shade was sometimes misaligned with the standard status bar, causing a visual inconsistency. (Issue #419573315, Issue #419134909, Issue #432794874)
• Addressed a system hang or crash, particularly during unlock, caused by the camera’s Ambient Light Sensor (ALS) read getting stuck, by implementing a non-blocking method for sensor data retrieval. (Issue #421870862, Issue #420725698)
• The media player on the lock screen would sometimes disappear or become unresponsive. (Issue #420517884)
• An issue where the notification shade displayed a large, growing gap, obscuring notifications, by correcting how notification animations were clipped. (Issue #421366916)
• An issue where the media player notification could appear clipped or disappear during device rotation, by improving how its display area is sized and updated in UI transitions. (Issue #433040374)
• Video calls initiated from voice calls no longer experience muted audio; a system audio fix now correctly manages sound output during call type transitions. (Issue #434139133, Issue #427060263, Issue #438414975)
• An issue where black translucent bars appeared at the top and bottom of the home screen after exiting full-screen apps by correcting how transient system bar states were cleared. (Issue #425407737, Issue #433929827)
• An issue that caused the device to unexpectedly crash and restart during an OTA update.
• An issue causing occasional device restarts after system updates.
• Widgets on the home screen sometimes failed to load due to looking for outdated app files.
• Typing occasionally stopped working in apps because internal input system processes could race.
• Device crashes caused by the Context Hub running out of memory.
• Bluetooth crashes and instability caused by an “Unimplemented Packet Type” error have been resolved.
• An issue that could cause phone disconnections or system crashes during calls by resolving a memory corruption bug in audio data buffer handling related to audio playback speed changes.
• A brief screen flicker happened when launching apps from the notification shade.
• A system crash that could occur when using your device’s media features, especially when connected to a computer for media transfer, by improving the internal handling of media connection resources.

Google Phone’s new “Calling Cards”

Who says calling someone has to look boring? Introducing “calling cards,” a playful twist now quietly rolling out in the Google Phone app for some beta users, as reported by Android Authority. If this sounds familiar, you might be thinking of iOS 17’s contact posters ― but Google’s approach lets you add a full-screen background image to your own contact page, with options for colors, fonts, and, yes, lots of personality.

These calling cards are tucked into the latest beta builds of the Google Phone and Contacts apps. When you view a friend’s contact, you’ll get a prompt to ‘try adding a calling card,’ and from there, the customization starts. While not everyone is seeing this yet, the direction is clear — Google wants your Pixel to feel more personal, right down to how your calls look. 

Pixel 10 leaks continue to flow

You didn’t think we’d get through another week without fresh Pixel 10 leaks, did you? The web keeps churning out new details, and it seems Google might not be left with a single thing to surprise us with.

For starters, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is shaping up to be the most robust foldable yet, with industry-first IP68 dust and water resistance and much-needed UFS 4.0 storage (a big leap from Google’s long-standing UFS 3.1 hardware). The specs leak, courtesy of WinFuture and highlighted by 9to5Google, shows no price hikes over last year and confirms a larger battery (5,015 mAh), Qi2 charging, 16GB of RAM, and a fast, secure upgrade to the Tensor G5 chipset. It looks like Google’s even pushing 7 years of promised software updates — a clear shot at matching Apple’s longevity.

Battery upgrades are arriving across the lineup, not just for the Fold. The Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL all get bigger batteries with marginally better runtimes and small but meaningful repairability improvements. New durability and energy labels from the EU reportedly confirm the improved tech under the hood, and with August 20 approaching, we’re nearly set for the big reveal. 

We’ve been keeping tabs on all the leaks and rumors, so if you want to see what’s coming, you can check out all our Pixel 10 coverage here.