Android 16 Beta 3 is rolling out to Pixel devices today with the Platform Stability milestone that finalizes app-facing behaviors and internal/external APIs to let developers update their applications.
Beta 3 introduces support for Auracast broadcast audio with compatible LE Audio hearing aids.
…Auracast enables compatible hearing aids and earbuds to receive direct audio streams from public venues like airports, concerts, and classrooms.
Android 16 Beta 3 is replacing high contrast text with outline text that “draws a larger contrasting area around text to greatly improve legibility.”
Android 16 also contains new AccessibilityManager APIs to allow your apps to check or register a listener to see if this mode is enabled.
App developers can start testing Local Network Protection (LNP) to give “users more control over which apps can access devices on their local network.” This is launching with a “future Android major release” and is a “significant change.”
Currently, any app with the INTERNET permission can communicate with devices on the user’s local network. LNP will eventually require apps to request a specific permission to access the local network.
Resolved developer- and user-reported issues
- Fixed various issues that were causing excessive battery drain in some cases. (Issue #396603519, Issue #396757426, Issue #400066003, Issue #397088375)
- Fixed issues that sometimes caused devices to reboot unexpectedly. (Issue #400003800)
- Fixed an issue that caused the At a Glance widget to display out of date information on the always-on-display. (Issue #392132215)
Other resolved issues
- Fixed various other issues that impacted system stability, performance, and Bluetooth pairing.
You can leave feedback with the Android Beta Feedback app on Pixel devices. Access it from the drawer or via Quick Settings to file bugs in the Google issue tracker. There’s also the Android Beta community on Reddit.
Android 16 Beta 3 (BP22.250221.010) system images with the March 2025 security patch are available for the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a, Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel Pro Fold, as well as the Android Emulator.
- Pixel 9 Pro Fold: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 9 Pro XL: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 9 Pro: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 9: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 8a: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 8 Pro: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 8: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel Fold: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel Tablet: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 7a: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 7 Pro: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 7: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 6a: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 6 Pro: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 6: BP21 — Factory Image — OTA
Add 9to5Google to your Google News feed.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
