Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 Brings Real Desktop Power To Your Phone

Along with the Android 16 download being available today for Pixel users, Google has also released Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2. This is the second beta of the new Material 3 Expressive design that Google announced last month.

The big new feature in this update is the enhanced Android desktop experience, thanks to connected displays. Google previewed this at I/O last month as well, saying “connected displays enable users to attach an external display to their Android device and transform a small-screen device into a powerful tool with a large screen.”

This builds on the desktop windowing feature that rolled out today with a number of other Android 16 features.

Now, when a supported Android phone or foldable is connected to an external display through a DisplayPort connection, a new desktop session starts on the connected display. Both devices are able to operate independently, and the apps are specific to the display that they’re running on.

Google says that the experience is very similar to a desktop, including a task bar that shows running apps and lets users pin apps for quick access. A lot like you can on Chrome OS already.

If you’re excited to check out the new connected displays support and Material 3 Expressive, you can sign up for the Android Beta Program and get downloading right now. Just head to the Android Beta Program website and enroll your device. You’ll receive an OTA shortly after to update your device to the newest beta.

Android 16 QPR 1 will likely be released in August. We’re expecting it to be released alongside the new Pixel 10 devices. Typically, this would come out about three months later, but with the confirmed Google Pixel 10 release date being on August 20, that would be sooner than three months after the latest Android OS release.