Android 13 QPR1 Beta 3 adds Pixel 7 support, Clear Calling feature appears

What you need to know

• The Android 13 QPR1 Beta 3 is now rolling out to Pixel phones.
• The Pixel 4a and 4a (5G), the Pixel 5 and 5a, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, 6a,  Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will find beta version T1B3.221003.003.
• With the beta welcoming in Pixel 7 series phones, an added feature for this testing phase is Clear Calling which uses AI intelligence to make calls clearer.

Google has come with its third beta build for its Android 13 QPR1 testing, which is now rolling out o Pixel devices.

According to the Android Developers post, Android 13 QPR1 Beta 3 is rolling out to the Pixel 4a and 4a (5G), the Pixel 5 and 5a, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, 6a, and welcomes the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro to the testing. These phones will find this latest beta build as version T1B3.221003.003.

While Android Developers have kept the changelog relatively light, a few new features and changes regarding the third phase of the beta were posted on Twitter via Mishaal Rahman. This build appears lighter than the previous phase Google released for testing as it welcomes beta testers to experiment with its new animations for page swiping in a home screen folder.

We're also seeing settings for Clear Calling appear in this QPR1 Beta 3, as well. This is a new AI feature that Google revealed after its Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro reveal at the Made By Google event. Clear Calling will use AI to intelligently reduce background noise and highlight the voice on the other end so that your calls sound clearer. According to Mishaal Rahman's initial tests, the function seems to work as intended.

While it was mentioned that a few Pixel 7 features, such as Clear Calling, would work on the previous-gen Pixel 6 series, that is not the case for the time being. It seems as though the Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a are all missing the audio_cca_aoc necessary library to use the feature. "CCA" refers to crystal clear audio while "AOC" means "always=on compute," the sensor hub for the Tensor chip.

While there was quite a bit that went down with the Android 13 QPR1 Beta 2 release, one change that has reverted is the expanded volume panel. The Beta 2 had this panel centered on a Pixel device's screen, but it has now gone back to sitting at the bottom of the screen when opened.

For Pixel phones that support "Battery Share," Google has added a toggleable option with this beta that allows users to choose whether or not they'd like to have reverse wireless charging turned on automatically for a short period after plugging their phone into a charger.

Another feature Google has brought in for this beta phase is support for built-in VPNs. This is most likely in preparation for the Pixel 7's free VPN through Google One, which was mentioned as part of the device's security efforts during its recent fall event earlier in October.

The next feature drop for Pixel phones is slated until December, so if you're not already enrolled in the Beta Program, you have around two months until you have these features for yourself.