What you need to know
- Android 12 beta 3.1 is now available as an over-the-air (OTA) update.
- This release can be downloaded through system settings and weighs in at just 738kB.
- Three huge stability problems have been fixed, including bootlooping, aggressive memory management, and System UI crashing.
Anyone running Android 12 beta 3 on your phone for the last week or so has probably been a bit frustrated with the general stability of this release. Unlike beta 1 and 2, beta 3 had some pretty big stability issues, namely the System UI crashing seemingly randomly, apps getting killed in the background quite often, and, worst of all, a bootloop that can sometimes occur when restarting the phone.
Android 12 beta 3.1 fixes all three of those horrendous issues, and it does so with a tiny 738kB download. This update comes less than two weeks after beta 3 made its initial debut, although a number of notable bugs remain in Android 12 beta 3 which Google tracks on the official issue tracker page.
Now that this release is a lot more stable, anyone who loves living on the bleeding edge can get the Android 12 beta installed if they have a supported device. Right now, there are a few dozen of them, including recent Pixel phones and some of the best Android phones from other manufacturers.
If you'd rather wait for a more stable release, Android 12 beta 4 is expected sometime in mid to late August and is scheduled to be a stability-focused release rather than one that introduces new features. Otherwise, expect Android 12 to come to Pixel devices first later in the Fall.
Head on over to the system menu on your Pixel 5 (or other supported device) and hit that download button to get going with the latest Android 12 beta update.
Stay on the cutting-edge
The Google Pixel 5 is one of the best Android phones on the market thanks to its fast and fluid launcher, simple design, and impressive cameras. It is also one of the most affordable Android flagships you can buy.
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