Enrolled Pixels only receive QPR2 beta 1 over the air, so installing Android 17 QPR1 Beta 8 requires sideloading from a device running QPR1 beta 7. The extra build is worth the detour for some users: it fixes audio corruption, Pixel tablet dock dropouts, an NFC regression, and a fingerprint unlock failure.
What is Android 17 QPR1 Beta 8 and who can install it
Today Google shipped Android 17 QPR1 Beta 8, a late quarterly-release beta build, CP31.260623.010, for Pixel devices even though the beta program had already moved on to the QPR2 cycle in 2026. The reviewer who walked through it, Gustavo dev doido of the In Depth Tech Reviews channel, sideloaded it onto a Pixel 9 Pro XL running QPR1 beta 7.
Distribution is the unusual part. Devices enrolled in the Android Beta Program receive QPR2 beta 1 over the air, so the only supported route to this build is sideloading from a PC. The Wallpaper & style app changes it carries also appear on QPR2 beta 1 and Android Canary 2607, because Google updated the app across versions at the same time.
How to sideload the build from QPR1 beta 7
Because the OTA path delivers QPR2 beta 1, sideloading is the only way onto Beta 8. Your device must already be on QPR1 beta 7:
- Confirm your Pixel is running the QPR1 beta 7 build; if it took the QPR2 beta 1 OTA, you cannot move to this build without flashing.
- Download the Android 17 QPR1 Beta 8 factory or OTA image for your exact device from the Android Beta Program page.
- Connect the Pixel to a PC and boot it into bootloader (fastboot) mode.
- Sideload the OTA image with ADB, or flash the factory image, following the instructions shipped with the file.
- Reboot and verify the build number reads CP31.260623.010 under Settings > About phone.
Live notifications come to the Clock app
The headline UI change affects the Clock app. When you start the stopwatch or a timer and return to the home screen, the counter no longer appears only in the At a Glance widget. It becomes a live notification pill at the top left corner of the display, with the stopwatch icon and running counter.
Tapping the pill opens a live notification banner where you can pause, resume, reset, or snooze the notification. The change is scoped narrowly: media controls and the Recorder app still use their old behavior, and only the Clock app received the new treatment in this build.
Wallet tile, Wallpaper & style, and the Disco icon style
Quick settings gets one visible improvement. The wallet tile now expands properly into the Wallet app, replacing an older animation that loaded in from the side; the reviewer calls the difference a day-and-night one in a side-by-side comparison.
The Wallpaper & style app, which Google updated silently across QPR1 beta 8, QPR2 beta 1, and Canary 2607, changes in several places:
- The main page replaces suggested wallpapers at the bottom with quick access to Live effects, AI wallpaper, and Emoji workshop.
- The More wallpapers page drops suggestions and keeps only a button to choose a photo.
- In Live effects, the border around a selected color now matches that color.
- The wallpaper preview animation after tapping Next.js less bouncy.
- The AI wallpaper category pages look different, with an updated dropdown layout.
A new icon style called Disco appears under Icons > Create. Unlike the existing styles, it offers no modifications and ships with a fixed look, but it can be applied to the home screen like any other style.
The four bug fixes in the release notes
Google lists exactly four fixes for Android 17 QPR1 Beta 8, and each addresses a regression users hit in daily use:
- An audio framework buffer management issue that caused unexpected loud audio corruption and static during media playback and notification interactions.
- A Pixel tablet speaker dock problem where the dock frequently went offline or failed to connect when attached.
- An NFC service regression that made affected NFC tags fail to read data or open URLs.
- A fingerprint authentication issue where authentication was not triggered when attempting to unlock the device.
Performance and benchmark results
Daily use on the sideloaded build was stable in the reviewer's hands-on testing: apps loaded as fast as expected, and no major bugs or showstoppers appeared while filming.
Benchmark scores held level with earlier QPR1 betas. The reviewer ran Geekbench twice on the CPU and kept the best result:
| Test | Best score | Device |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench CPU multicore | 4,536 | Pixel 9 Pro XL |
| Geekbench CPU single-core | 1,927 | Pixel 9 Pro XL |
| GPU (Stable Diffusion Geekbench run) | 8,789 | Pixel 9 Pro XL |
These are speaker-reported figures from a Pixel 9 Pro XL, not independent measurements, and you can compare against other devices in the Geekbench Browser. The reviewer also promoted the channel's own wallpaper app, Wallpapers by IDTR, available on Google Play, which lets users download wallpapers locally and apply wallpaper effects or edit them before downloading. That app is unrelated to the beta build itself.
Should you install this build?
Install it only if you specifically want to stay on the QPR1 track, because it requires sideloading from QPR1 beta 7 and enrollment otherwise delivers QPR2 beta 1. The practical reasons to jump through that hoop are the four bug fixes, particularly the audio corruption and fingerprint unlock failures, plus the Clock live notification if it matters to your workflow.
If you are already on QPR2 beta 1, the new wallpaper and style features are the main overlap, and everything else in this build will arrive in the eventual stable QPR1 release. Staying on your current OTA path is the lower-friction choice for most testers.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the build number of Android 17 QPR1 Beta 8?
The build number is CP31.260623.010. It is a QPR1-track beta released while the QPR2 beta 1 cycle was already running.
- How do I get Android 17 QPR1 Beta 8 on a Pixel?
Devices enrolled in the beta program only receive QPR2 beta 1 over the air. To install this build, your Pixel must be on QPR1 beta 7, and you sideload it from a PC using the image from the Android Beta Program page.
- Which apps use live notifications in this build?
Only the Clock app. The stopwatch and timer become a live notification pill with pause, resume, reset, and snooze controls. Media controls and the Recorder app keep their previous behavior.
- Are the Geekbench scores in the review official?
No. The scores of 4,536 multicore, 1,927 single-core, and 8,789 on GPU come from the reviewer's own runs on a Pixel 9 Pro XL and match earlier beta builds roughly.
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