Here’s Everything New in Android 16 QPR 1 [Video]

Let’s have a look at all the new features in the Android 16 QPR 1. While the recently concluded Google I/O event started with AI and ended with AI, we did get a glimpse of the latest Android release as well. Usually, I’m not much excited for the Android part of this event because there are just slight tweaks here and there, but this time, things were going to be completely different, all thanks to the new Material 3 Expressive Design that we are about to welcome.

The Silicon Valley giant has taken some bold moves this time around, which haven’t been seen in recent years, by completely revamping the OS’s UI and UX with the new menus and toggles all around [more on that later]. Apart from that, there are a slew of intriguing changes to the Wallpaper app, with some interesting additions, add an image in the AOD, the ability to check which fingerprint you have enrolled, the revamped menu in the recent apps screen, and lock screen clock customizations to the Pixel tablet.

Oh, and yes, Google has also reduced the size of Pixel’s At a Glance widget, so you’ll now get more space for apps and widgets. So without any further ado, let’s have a look at all these features, after which, we will also list the steps to install the Android 16 QPR 1 on your Pixel device. Follow along.

All the New Features in Android 16 QPR 1

Let’s dive deep into everything new the latest Android 16 QPR 1 build has to offer. Follow along.

Material 3 Expressive Design

This is the talk of the town! After all, Google revamping the entire UI and UX of Android isn’t something we see every other year. But what’s exactly new this time around? Let’s find out:

Changes to the Quick Settings with the ability to resize tiles differently.
One tap toggles for Internet and Bluetooth.
You can now add background blur to the Quick Settings panel, app drawer, and recents menu.
More flexible animations for dismissing notifications and recent tasks
Newer and bolder status bar icons and a new battery icon as well.
Cleaner and more compact lock screen layout
Revamped volume panel
Colorful and graphically intensive Settings app

What about Google Apps? Well, the tech giant has confirmed Material 3 Expressive redesigns for Fitbit, Gmail, and Google Photos, with more apps on the line.

Pixel Magic Portrait

This is an interesting addition to the Pixel’s Wallpaper app. It will pick up an image provided by you, automatically isolate part of it, and give you various frame shapes and background colors that you can apply across its borders. To make it even more pleasing, you can even apply dynamic weather effects to their wallpapers.

magic portrait android 16

These include your current local weather, fog, rain, snow, and sun. Trust us, the wordings might not do full justice to this feature, you’ll have to look at it to enjoy the real enhancement it tends to add to our lock screen. NOTE: This feature is only applicable on custom images, not the stock ones already present on your device.

magic portrait android 16 qpr beta 1

Customize Lock Screen Clock

Continuing in the footsteps of Magic Portrait, you can now also adjust the clock’s weight and width. However, you can only do this on the default clock because it’s the only one using a “reactive” font [that qualifies it for dynamic adjustment].

android 16 qpr beta 1 new features

Ambient AOD Image

UPDATE: This feature is yet to go live.

This is one feature that other OEMs already support, but was missing from Pixel for a long time. Well, not anymore. Beginning with the latest OS release, Google has added the option to add an image to the AOD lock screen. It will blur your current lock screen wallpaper and put it as the AOD image, which, in my opinion, looks even worse than the black AOD screen. I get that it cannot display the entire image because then it will destroy one of the core features of AOD and will also lead to additional battery drainage, but still, this blurred wallpaper in AOD doesn’t look visually pleasing.

Check your Enrolled Fingerprints

Added a few fingerprints, but don’t remember which one is which? Well, not anymore. With Android 16 QPR 1, you can now tap on Check Enrolled Fingerprint. Upon doing so, the device will bring up a black screen with the fingerprint sensor at the bottom, tap on it, and it will let you know which fingerprint you just used from all the enrolled ones.

android 16 qpr beta 1 new features

Drop Down Menu in Recents

Until now, you had to tap on the app’s icon in the Recent Menu to bring up a list of options like Split Screen, App Info, etc. This wasn’t the most intuitive of designs, as the users might not know that the app’s icon has a hidden menu underneath it. Thankfully, Google has now addressed this issue by adding a drop-down icon next to the app’s icon from wherein you can now bring up a menu with all the required options.

android 16 qpr beta 1 new features

Lock Screen Customizations for the Pixel Tablet

While Pixel devices could customize the lock screen clocks for ages, their counterpart were missing this functionality for reasons best known to Google. Fortunately, that waiting time is now over, and you can now change the style, color, and size of the lock screen clock on your Pixel tablet.

How to Install Android 16 QPR 1

android 16 qpr beta 1 new features

If you are willing to welcome abode these features to your device, then you can install the latest Android 16 QPR 1 either via the Android Flash Tool or manually via the factory image’s install.bat file. However, before you do so, keep in mind that installing this Beta build on your Pixel means you won’t receive next month’s stable Android 16 release. For me, that’s worth a trade-off. if you also echo the same opinions, then refer to the below guides and get going!

So this was all from this guide on all the new features in the Android 16 QPR 1. Ehat are your views abo these changes in the OS? Do share your valuable opinions with us in the comments section. Likewise, if you have any queries concerning the installation steps of this Beta build, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution as soon as possible.

The post Here’s Everything New in Android 16 QPR 1 [Video] appeared first on DroidWin.