Google has released Android 17 QPR1 Beta 8 for Pixel phones, build CP31.260623.010, dated 31 July 2026. It is a small update carrying four bug fixes and no new features — but it is the build that matters most to Pixel 6 owners, because QPR1 is the last version of Android their phones will ever run.
What Android 17 QPR1 Beta 8 fixes
Google’s release notes list four fixed issues, and they are unusually consequential for a late beta — three of them break things people use every day:
- Fingerprint unlock — an issue where fingerprint authentication simply did not trigger when you tried to unlock the device.
- NFC — an NFC service regression that caused affected tags to fail to read data or open URLs.
- Audio — an audio framework buffer management issue that produced unexpected, loud audio corruption and static during media playback and notification interactions.
- Pixel Tablet Speaker Dock — the dock frequently going offline or failing to connect when attached.
The build ships with the 2026-07-05 security patch level and Google Play services 26.22.36. There is nothing else in it: no new UI, no feature toggles, no changes to the September Feature Drop’s headline additions. Beta 8 arrives two weeks after Beta 7, keeping to the fortnightly cadence Google has held through this cycle.
Why this build matters for the Pixel 6
Google has already moved its forward development to Android 17 QPR2, and QPR2 Beta 1 dropped support for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. QPR1 is where those phones stop. Beta 8 still supports the full Pixel 6 series, and every fix that lands in this branch before the stable September release is a fix that will be baked into the final software those devices carry for the rest of their lives.
That is worth being blunt about. A Pixel 6 launched in October 2021 with a three-year OS promise that Google later stretched; it has had a good run by Android standards. But once QPR1 goes stable, a fingerprint bug or an NFC regression on a Pixel 6 is not a bug waiting for next quarter’s build — it is permanent. Anyone still on a Pixel 6 who has been sitting on beta feedback has a narrow window left in which reporting it can still change anything.
Which Pixels can install it
Beta 8 is rolling out now as an over-the-air update to devices enrolled in the Android Beta Programme, covering the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro through to the Pixel 10 series and the Pixel 10a, plus the Pixel Tablet. If you are enrolled, it should appear under Settings, System, Software update. Emulator images are available for x86 64-bit and ARM v8-A.
The standard beta caution applies and is not boilerplate here: these are pre-release builds, and leaving the beta programme after the stable release ships is straightforward, but leaving it before then wipes the device. If your Pixel is your only phone, wait for the stable Feature Drop in September rather than enrolling now to chase these four fixes.
