Android 15 beta 3.1 update fixes one of the most annoying bugs ever
Lockscreen interaction is now possible, among other small but notable fixes.
What you need to know
- Android 15 Beta 3.1 is rolling out to all eligible Android beta participants via an over-the-air update.
- The update fixes two particularly egregious bugs, one which prevented face unlock usage and the other that cause lockscreen interaction to sometimes break.
- This update doesn't appear to fix the slow charging bug that appeared in Android 15 Beta 3.
If you're on Android 15 Beta 3 and have trouble unlocking your phone or interacting with elements on the lock screen, the latest update should make you very happy. Android 15 Beta 3.1 is rolling out to eligible phones right now.
If you're interested in testing it out, here's how to install the Android 15 beta on your supported phone.
This beta update features a fairly short list of fixes but two, in particular, are quite important. Lockscreen widgets were nigh unusable at times as Android 15 beta 3 would constantly prompt users to unlock their phones in order to interact with elements on the lockscreen. That totally defeats the point of having interactable elements on a lock screen, but thankfully, that bug has been squashed.
On the other hand, there were times when biometric face unlock didn't work in Android 15 beta 3. When this failed, though, users could still use a PIN, password, or fingerprint unlock, so while it was annoying, it wasn't experience-breaking.
The full list of changes doesn't provide much information on additional fixes other than "fixed various other issues that were impacting system stability, connectivity, and audio quality."
Currently, the most problematic bug seems to have broken adaptive charging on Pixel devices, meaning it takes hours to charge Pixel phones. According to users on Reddit, overnight charging is also bugged as users have been finding that their phones still aren't charged by the time their wake-up timer goes off in the morning.
Google's smart charging solution is designed to charge your phone just before the alarm goes off so it's not sitting at 100% charge all night. There's no word yet on when this bug will get fixed. Android 15 Beta 3 rolled out on June 18, so it's possible we'll see another batch of fixes in another two weeks.
Be an expert in 5 minutes
Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of Android
Get the latest updates AND promised updates for the next seven years, all while saving some cash on a Google Pixel 8a. It's the affordable flagship phone you've been waiting for!