what you need to know
- Google released Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 today, but users are experiencing issues sideloading the update.
- As with the first Android 15 developer preview, trying to sideload the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 update will brick the device, according to multiple reports.
- Currently, sideloading Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 to a bricked device appears to resolve the issue.
Google released the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 update today, saying in a Reddit post that it “includes the latest bug fixes and performance and stability optimizations.” But users who tried to sideload the update to their Pixel smartphones found that their devices were bricked once it was done. Sideloading works fine, but the phone gets stuck on the Google logo after trying to restart.
At least one Reddit user said their Pixel phone became bricked after sideloading the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 update. 9to5Google reported that three phones, two of which were the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Fold, were bricked due to sideloading Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2. The website added that it only successfully installed Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 on one device, a Pixel device. 8. Side-loading updates.
One Reddit user u/DaveBurbank suggested that Android phones without the latest version of Platform Tools may be more susceptible to bricking due to updates. However, Google has yet to publicly acknowledge the issues with sideloading Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.
Some sideloading attempts have been successful, although there have been some confirmed reports of bricked devices. Some Reddit users said that they were able to install Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 without any issues. We don’t recommend you try to sideload the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 update right away, though, which is a good reminder why you shouldn’t install beta updates on your primary device.
It’s worth noting that over-the-air software updates are on the way, and there haven’t been any reports of bricked devices. Android Central’s Derrek Lee successfully updated his Pixel 7 without any issues.You can access these by navigating to Settings > System > Software Update > System Update on your smartphone. Then, follow the on-screen prompts to install Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.
Meanwhile, for those who have successfully installed and run the new software, Google’s release notes say Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 includes the following bug fixes:
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the device to crash or restart unexpectedly.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the device to crash or restart unexpectedly when updating apps after refreshing the device.
- Fixed an issue that caused the device to display a blank, black screen after booting from flash memory.
- Fixed an issue that caused the device to crash with a blank, black screen after switching to a secondary user.
- Fixed an issue when always-on display mode was enabled that interfered with the Double-tap to wake gesture and prevented the device from unlocking when the user attempted to unlock the device using their fingerprint.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused battery information to not display correctly in system settings, status bar, and lock screen.
- Fixed an issue that prevented transfers between devices as well as backup and restore jobs.
- Fixed various issues affecting system stability, performance, and camera.
For anyone trying to sideload the update, the early fix for bricked devices appears to be to install the previous Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 OTA image via sideloading. Start by holding down the power button to completely turn off your phone to put the device into recovery mode. Next, press the volume down button and then the power button to enter the bootloader. Finally, enter recovery mode, click the power button, then the volume up button, and sideload the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 OTA.