Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2 Rolling Out with AirDrop Support for Pixel 9 Series

After rolling out the January 2026 security patch to supported Pixel phones, Google has now turned its attention to its Quarterly Platform Release (QPR) cycle. The tech giant has released the Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2 update for Pixel 6 and newer phones, introducing a handful of new features alongside important bug fixes.

Google Pixel 9 now supports AirDrop transfers

Starting with the main addition to the update, the Pixel 9 series gets support for sharing files with Apple devices via AirDrop. The Pixel 10 series already has the functionality and previous reports did suggest that Google has been working to introduce the AirDrop feature for Pixel 9. So, it's good to see the update finally see the light of day. Apart from that, the Settings app has also been refreshed with a cleaner design.

Most importantly, the Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2 update focuses on fixing battery drain issues and UI glitches. One of the major bugs that has been addressed is where phones ignored charging limits. Besides, many reported overnight battery drain and inconsistent wired charging speeds, both of which have been addressed.

On the UI front, Google has patched a few essential UI elements that were freezing in the app drawer and notification shade. The screen flickering has also been fixed, alongside slow Wi-Fi and audio delays when switching to speaker. More importantly, crashes and stability issues reported on the Google Pixel Folds have also been fixed.

The Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2 update is rolling out to Pixel 6 and newer phones. Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series are receiving the build number CP11.251209.007, while newer Pixels get the CP11.251209.007.A1 build. The update on our Pixel 10 is around 508 MB in size and can be installed by heading to Settings > System > Software updates > Software update.

The Android 16 QPR3 stable update is expected to land after the QPR3 Beta 3 rolls out sometime in February 2026. Android 17 is expected to follow soon, sometime in May or June. That said, most of the features that roll out by the time Android 16 QPR3 stable hits Pixels are likely to be seen in the Android 17 release.

More information about the upcoming features and release timelines is expected to be announced as we approach a potential Google I/O in May 2026, so stay tuned.