I installed Android 16 QPR1 beta 1, and these big changes I noticed immediately
Thanks to the release of Android 16 QPR1 beta 1, I got my first taste of Google's next major OS and its Material 3 Expressive design changes. While I haven't explored everything this beta offers, a few highlights are worth mentioning.
If you're not on the QPR1 beta yet and want to be, it's easy to join. We have a guide for installing Android 16 QPR1 beta on your device if needed, but the process is straightforward. Opt into the beta program by selecting your eligible phone, which includes models from the Pixel 6 to the Pixel 9 and the A series devices. I have it running on the Pixel 9a. However, remember that it's a beta build, so some features may not work as expected, and there's a risk of data loss. Consider this carefully before proceeding.
What do you think about Android 16's new design?
3969 votes
I love it
41 %
It looks OK
23 %
I'm not sure yet
23 %
I hate it
13 %
For those who choose not to download it, you're missing out. Here's what stood out to me in Android 16 QPR1 beta 1.
The big Android 16 changes that caught my eye
Joe Maring / Android Authority
First, there are some nice visual updates thanks to Material 3 Expressive. You might love or hate these changes, but I quite like them. We first saw Material 3 Expressive last week on The Android Show, and it refreshes Android 16 with new physics-based animations, upgraded app components, fresh color themes, background blur effects, and more. While not everything will be in the stable release of Android 16 next month, the QPR gives us a glimpse of what's to come.
There are some nice visual updates thanks to Material 3 Expressive.
One of my favorite updates is to the Quick Settings shade. Toggles and buttons are bolder and more colorful, adding plenty of personality. The previous version felt bland and lacked customization, but now you can resize these tiles, which is a nice practical addition. There's more customization, allowing you to make your quick settings more attuned to your needs. And if you resize your tiles to the smallest size, thereby removing their name, Android 16 has a nifty trick to show you what you're clicking on with a flashing prompt at the bottom of the Quick Settings panel.
You now have one-click toggles for internet and Bluetooth, too. In quick settings, if you swipe down twice, you'll notice a nice blur effect. It correlates with your background, giving a more expressive feel, which the old version of Android lacked. Blur is everywhere in Android 16, not just in quick settings. On the recent screen, you'll see a blurred version of your wallpaper peeking through, similar to quick settings. This is more obvious, and I really like it.
Blur is everywhere in Android 16.
There are other significant changes to the UI, with the status bar's Apple-inspired tweaks among the more noticeable.
Andy Walker / Android Authority
The biggest change is the battery icon, which now shows the percentage inside the indicator for the first time. Previously, it was on the side, showing the remaining percentage, but now that figure is displayed within the shape itself. There's also an update to the Wi-Fi symbol in the status bar, with a more distinctive three-part design, and a new dual-SIM-friendly signal bar design for your carrier connections.
Another Material 3 Expressive change comes to the volume controls. It's less bubbly than before, a small change I like. The pop-out volume control has also been redesigned, with sliders now similar to the simpler home screen volume control.
In Settings, you'll notice a change in appearance. Colored symbols down the left side make it easier to identify items at a glance. This makes the Settings app feel different and more navigable than ever before.
In the fingerprint unlock section of Settings, there's a new 'Check enrolled fingerprints' button. Pressing it opens a black screen with a fingerprint symbol. When tapped, it returns to the settings menu, highlighting the saved fingerprint used to unlock your phone. If the fingerprint is not enrolled, a prompt saying 'Fingerprint not recognized' shows up. It's a good way of checking if someone has sneakily enrolled a fingerprint on your phone, or if you want to verify your fingerprint is enrolled properly.
Some of my favorite changes are in the wallpaper settings, where Google has added plenty of new customization options.
Some of my favorite changes are in the wallpaper settings, where Google has added plenty of new customization options. For example, you can now put your wallpaper into a customizable frame called Magic Portrait by clicking the effects button in wallpaper settings.
Andy Walker / Android Authority
You can pick from five frames, some of which can annoyingly cut off parts of images, like my dog's face. The feature is still in beta, so resizing isn't available yet. You can select frame colors from below the frames, which are determined by the dominant wallpaper colors.
Another wallpaper change I like is the addition of weather elements, a feature Samsung had before on its One UI builds. Google now lets you add weather elements to your wallpaper, like fog, rain, snow, or sun, based on your local conditions. You can change the intensity with a slider; it looks cool, especially with rain in 3D. It's surprisingly practical too, as I can now check my wallpaper instead of opening my weather app.
Andy Walker / Android Authority
There's also a new slider to resize the clock on the lock screen, but it's currently only available on the default clock using a reactive font. This allows you to change size and width in one movement. Perhaps this will come to other clock styles in the future, but its scope is limited for now.
There are smaller changes, too. When closing apps and swiping up, there's a new animation. In the recent menu, a new pill is overlaid on each app, expanding to options like screenshot, select, and pause the app.
Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
A small pop-up appears when updating your phone, indicating more space for apps and widgets on the home screen. Finally, there's more space for apps on the Pixel Launcher home screen, and At a Glance has shrunk slightly. Is this a small step towards moving it? I hope so.
Google has borrowed some design ideas from Samsung and Apple, too.
A lot is lurking within Android 16 QPR1 beta, and I feel I've barely scratched the surface. But these are some of the bigger changes I've noticed immediately after downloading it. I'm eager to get stuck into the beta in earnest, but early signs indicate an exciting suite of practical and aesthetic changes.
What do you think of Android 16 so far? Are you going to download the first beta, or have you already? Let us know in the comments below.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Digital Trends
29 minutes ago
- Digital Trends
This deal gets you $45 earbuds that 'redefine' the genre
Just three weeks ago we reviewed the Soundcore Liberty 5, which we called 'excellent daily driver earbuds.' The meaning was pretty clear — the buds sell for $130, which is considerably lower than their Apple competition and sits them right in the middle of the best earbuds. They're quality buds and have Soundcore's best ANC to date. That's great stuff, but this hot deal puts an all-time low price on a difference set of Soundcore's earbuds — a more budget-minded set. The Soundcore Space A40 retail for somewhere between about $65 and $80 depending on where you look, but now you can get them for just $45. Amazon Prime members can get the blue color and any Walmart shopper can get the black color with free shipping while this deal lasts. Is it enough to completely eclipse the Liberty 5 release? For a certain type of shopper, yes. If you're that type of shopper, please tap the appropriate button below. Why you should buy the Soundcore Space A40 The Soundcore Space A40 have been on our radar for quite some time now, and we liked them even when they released with a $100 MSRP. Our Soundcore Space A40 review says that the small earbuds 'redefine what you can expect from budget wireless earbuds.' The reason they are described this way is due to a features list that transcends what we typically expect from sub-$100 earbuds. They have 'real deal' ANC, a battery life of 50 hours when you include the case (and have ANC off), are 'very comfortable,' and have the full slew of companion app features that you'd expect from superior earbuds, among other things. These are fully featured earbuds now being sold for just $45. Even if you've got something great yourself already, they make a fine gift for someone who isn't tuned into premium buds (yet). Getting the Soundcore Space A40 for just $45 instead of the usual $65-$80 we usually see them at is an amazing deal and great opportunity. But if you're still want to play the field a bit, be sure to check out our list of the best budget headphones and earbuds. There, you'll see the Soundcore Space A40, but also offerings like the JLab JBuds Mini, which are slightly cheaper at $40. However, that's their normal price. If you want quality earbuds at an incredible price, the Soundcore Space A40 at $45 are the headphones deal to beat.
Entrepreneur
32 minutes ago
- Entrepreneur
Archer Aviation Stock Steadies After Short-Seller Report
Archer Aviation's stock shows resilience after a short-seller report, as investors shift to the upcoming milestones and flight demonstrations for validation. This story originally appeared on MarketBeat [content-module:CompanyOverview|NYSE:ACHR] Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) recently found itself in the spotlight after a critical report from short-seller Culper Research on May 20th caused its stock to dip. However, in the days since, Archer's shares have shown signs of stabilizing. At midday on May 29, 2025, the stock price was approximately $10.66. Acher Aviation's stock activity, since the report suggests the market might be looking past the initial shock. Now, investor attention is sharply focused on Archer's upcoming operational milestones. Can the company deliver the flight demonstrations needed to fully counter the short-seller's claims and propel the stock forward? How Did Archer Stock Respond to Short Seller Claims? Culper Research's report on May 20 didn't pull any punches. It accused Archer Aviation of misleading investors about its progress. Key allegations included questions about testing timelines for its Midnight eVTOL aircraft and the validity of a key flight milestone in June 2024. Archer quickly responded, calling the claims "baseless" and questioning Culper's credibility as a research firm. What happened to the stock? Initial Drop: Archer's stock price fell sharply right after the report, by as much as 12-14% during trading on May 20 and 21. Archer's stock price fell sharply right after the report, by as much as 12-14% during trading on May 20 and 21. Finding a Floor: Over the following days, up to May 29, the stock price showed signs of stabilizing. It even saw some upward movement on May 27 and 28, closing at $10.93 and $10.95, respectively. Over the following days, up to May 29, the stock price showed signs of stabilizing. It even saw some upward movement on May 27 and 28, closing at $10.93 and $10.95, respectively. Market Interpretation: This stabilization might mean a couple of things. First, the market quickly priced in the short-seller's arguments. Second, without new, equally damaging information from Culper immediately following up, some investors may be taking a "wait and see" approach. They might be looking for Archer to prove its case through actions, not just words. Recent financial news has highlighted the ongoing dispute between the two organizations, presenting both perspectives. This media coverage has likely confused most investors, further stalling Archer's stock price progress as the market awaits a resolution. What Archer's Institutional Filings Reveal While daily stock prices can be volatile, looking at who owns a company can offer a different perspective. Reports from large institutional investors (like pension funds and investment firms) about their holdings at the end of the fourth quarter of 2024 continued to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during the past few weeks. These filings continue to show that many major institutions were increasing their investments in Archer before the short report surfaced. This kind of activity from large, sophisticated investors often suggests they've done their homework and believe in a company's long-term plans. This implies that they saw fundamental value in Archer leading into 2025. Archer's strong Q1 2025 financial results, reported on May 12, also provide a solid foundation. The company announced an earnings per share (EPS) that beat analyst expectations and confirmed its cash position exceeded $1 billion. This financial health is crucial for a company still developing its core product. Archer's Next Demonstrations Are Critical The most effective way for Archer to answer the short-seller's claims is through clear, verifiable progress. Investor attention is now firmly fixed on the company's ability to deliver on its stated operational targets. Key upcoming milestones include: UAE Deployment: Archer plans to deliver its first piloted Midnight aircraft to the United Arab Emirates this summer (2025). The goal is to start generating revenue there later in the year through its "Launch Edition" program with partners like Abu Dhabi Aviation. Archer plans to deliver its first piloted Midnight aircraft to the United Arab Emirates this summer (2025). The goal is to start generating revenue there later in the year through its "Launch Edition" program with partners like Abu Dhabi Aviation. Manufacturing Goals: The company aims to build up to ten Midnight aircraft at its Georgia facility in 2025. Hitting this target would demonstrate its ability to scale production. The company aims to build up to ten Midnight aircraft at its Georgia facility in 2025. Hitting this target would demonstrate its ability to scale production. FAA Certification: Continued progress towards getting full Type Certification from the Federal Aviation Administration for its Midnight aircraft in the U.S. (targeted for late 2025) remains a top priority. Continued progress towards getting full Type Certification from the Federal Aviation Administration for its Midnight aircraft in the U.S. (targeted for late 2025) remains a top priority. New Initiatives: Updates on the UK cargo eVTOL testing program with Anduril UK could also show operational capability in new areas. The successful execution of these milestones, particularly visible flight demonstrations leading to early commercial operations, would directly counter many of the short-seller's core allegations regarding aircraft readiness and testing progress. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Holding Pattern or Launchpad? Archer's Next Moves Will Tell [content-module:Forecast|NYSE:ACHR] Archer Aviation's stock is in a period of consolidation after the initial impact of the Culper Research report. The market has heard the allegations and the company's defense. Now, it seems to be waiting for Archer to deliver concrete proof of its capabilities through upcoming operational validation. If Archer successfully executes its flight demonstrations, meets its UAE deployment timelines, and continues to progress with manufacturing and certification, the questions raised by the short report will likely become less significant for many investors. For those who believe in Archer's technology and the future of the eVTOL sector, this holding pattern could be an excellent period to accumulate shares before the company's next set of crucial operational catalysts. Before you make your next trade, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. Our team has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and none of the big name stocks were on the list. They believe these five stocks are the five best companies for investors to buy now... See The Five Stocks Here
New York Times
33 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump Administration Live Updates: President to Hold Oval Office News Conference With Elon Musk
Elon Musk left his government position on Wednesday, after weeks of declining influence and increasing friction with President Trump and shareholders of his own private companies. Just three months ago, Elon Musk stood before a crowd of roaring conservatives and held up a chain saw. He was at the height of his influence, swaggering in a self-designed role with immense power inside and outside the government. 'We're trying to get good things done,' he said, using the chain saw as a metaphor for the deep cuts he was making in government. 'But also, like, you know, have a good time doing it.' Mr. Musk's time in government is over now. His good time ended long before. Mr. Musk is leaving his government position after weeks of declining influence and increasing friction with both President Trump and shareholders of his own private companies. But Mr. Trump on Thursday suggested that he was still aligned with one of his chief political patrons, saying that he would appear with Mr. Musk at the White House on Friday afternoon for a news conference. 'This will be his last day, but not really, because he will always be with us, helping all the way,' Mr. Trump wrote in a post on his social media site. 'Elon is terrific!' Mr. Musk's time in Washington has brought significant benefits to his fastest-growing company, SpaceX, the rocket and satellite communications giant. Musk allies were chosen to run NASA and the Air Force — two of SpaceX's key customers — and one of the company's major regulators, the Federal Communications Commission. But Mr. Musk never came close to delivering on the core promise of his tenure: that he could cut $1 trillion from the federal budget. His Department of Government Efficiency was full of government newcomers who struggled with both the law and the facts. They posted error-filled data and made procedural mistakes undercutting their credibility. They also rushed through cuts without seeming to understand what they were cutting. On the group's website, 47 percent of the contracts they canceled are listed as saving taxpayers nothing. The group eviscerated agencies and laid off thousands of federal employees, disrupting services — and workers' livelihoods — without providing the payoff Mr. Musk promised. When he left, DOGE said it was only 18 percent of the way toward his savings goal. Mr. Musk's team also saddled the government with dozens of ongoing lawsuits, including several in which judges have paused the cuts. So just months after Mr. Musk wielded the chain saw, playing the villain in Washington's nightmare, he left claiming another role: Washington's victim. He departed complaining. 'The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,' he told The Washington Post. 'I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.' Mr. Musk has said he is leaving because he has reached the legal limit for how long he can work as an unpaid 'special government employee.' He said in a post on X, his own social media platform, that his budget-cutting group's 'mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.' He did not respond to requests for comment from The New York Times. Image Elon Musk stood before a crowd of roaring conservatives and held up a chain saw during a conference in February. Credit... Eric Lee/The New York Times His departure brought another sign of his waning influence in Washington. Mr. Musk publicly bashed a bill backed by Mr. Trump that recently passed the House. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, thanked Mr. Musk for his service, but said Mr. Trump still supports the bill. 'The president is very proud of the One Big Beautiful Bill, and he wants to see it pass,' she said, referring to the legislation's name. Mr. Musk, a former ally of President Obama's who had been drifting right for years, became Mr. Trump's biggest donor during the 2024 presidential election. During the campaign, he suggested himself as head of a 'Department of Government Efficiency' — taking the name from an internet meme about a Shiba Inu. It was an example of the way Mr. Musk mixed the serious and the ridiculous during his time in power: The most fearsome force in Washington, for several months, was a small group of casually dressed young people named after a dog. Yet Mr. Musk was a highly useful ally for Mr. Trump during the 2024 campaign, and he remained so once he became an official adviser to the president. Mr. Musk's social media presence became a potential weapon against cabinet officials and administration staff members who might have voiced concern about his aggressive measures against the work force. Mr. Musk's power was clear on Feb. 26, when Mr. Trump held his first cabinet meeting. It was Mr. Musk — an unpaid employee with little formal power — who spoke before any of the cabinet secretaries. 'They will follow the orders,' Mr. Trump said. Image In the weeks following President Trump's first cabinet meeting, Mr. Musk became less of a help and more of a magnet for headlines that Mr. Trump's advisers considered damaging. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times But in the weeks that followed, Mr. Musk became less of a help and more of a magnet for headlines that Mr. Trump's advisers considered damaging, particularly in how he described the social safety net, such as claiming he had found 'massive' fraud in Social Security spending. Mr. Musk's budget-cutting group, despite promising transparency, was secretive. It provided one public window into its work: an online 'Wall of Receipts' that listed all the contracts, grants and leases the group had canceled. In early March, it already showed $105 billion in savings, more than one-tenth of the way to Mr. Musk's goal. 'Unless we're stopped, we will get to a trillion dollars of savings,' Mr. Musk said on Fox Business on March 10. But from the start, the site inflated what the group had achieved, and often seemed to show that DOGE did not understand the bureaucracy it was cutting. The group double-counted the same cuts, posted a claim that confused 'billion' with 'million,' and boasted about killing contracts that had been dead for years. Some claims were deleted, but the group never solved its problem with errors. More recently, the group's site has shown that Mr. Musk's frenetic cutting fell far short of its goal. On the day he left Washington, it showed his group had cut $175 billion. That may be swamped at the behest of Mr. Trump himself: House Republicans recently passed a domestic policy bill endorsed by the president that could add trillions in new debt. 'The intent and spirit of DOGE were excellent,' said Dominik Lett, a policy analyst at the libertarian Cato Institute. 'But it clearly fell far short of its goals.' The cuts did have the effect of causing fear and disruption within agencies and reducing the federal work force. It is not yet clear how many employees have been fired at the direction of DOGE. Around 20,000 probationary employees were dismissed in February. But because of legal challenges, many are still getting paid in a leave status. Tens of thousands more have left the government through voluntary departure options. Image Mr. Musk's budget-cutting group had the effect of causing fear and disruption within agencies and reducing the federal work force. Credit... Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times It is also difficult to measure the impact of another project taken on by Mr. Musk's group: accessing and centralizing huge amounts of data about average Americans, including Social Security numbers, immigration records and documents about bank accounts and employment. This information had been kept in separate databases, to limit what any government employee could learn about one person. But Mr. Musk's group sought to collect the data and merge it, alarming privacy and security experts and profoundly refashioning the way government data is used. Already, this newly assembled data seems to have been used in immigration enforcement. The Social Security Administration agreed to provide the addresses of nearly 100,000 people to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Internal Revenue Service's decision to provide taxpayer data to the Department of Homeland Security to help it deport immigrants prompted some longtime I.R.S. officials to resign. Some of the efforts to access and share data have been temporarily held up in court. But DOGE has won key cases that have allowed it to make real progress on a top priority of the Trump administration. Even while he led the government's budget-cutting effort, Mr. Musk also sought to shape public opinion from the outside — using his social media platform X to pressure Republicans and rally public opinion. It worked, at least at first. In December, before Mr. Trump even took office, Mr. Musk convinced House Republicans to block a spending bill. Even after Mr. Musk took on his official role, he regularly weighed in on other matters before the administration, voicing his personal frustrations with tariff policy and Mr. Trump's tax bill in a way that Mr. Trump would not tolerate from others on his staff. In April, Mr. Musk got a harsh lesson in the limits of his power. He and an allied group spent over $25 million to help the conservative candidate in a race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court — turning the race into a referendum on himself at the peak of DOGE's influence. Mr. Musk's candidate lost badly. Mr. Musk appeared chastened by the experience, signaling to others close to him that he realized his public role in the race had become a political liability. At the same time, Mr. Musk's companies began to feel the impacts of his new, polarizing political identity. Tesla sales have slumped in the United States and overseas, as backlash to Mr. Musk's politics combined with greater competition from other electric vehicle makers. In the United Kingdom, one anti-Musk poster showed a picture of the world's richest man emerging from a Tesla's roof with his hand pointing upward in a straight-armed salute. 'Goes from 0 to 1939 in 3 seconds,' the ad read, referring to the year that Britain declared war on Nazi Germany. Mr. Musk has said that his gesture, made at an event for Mr. Trump in January, was not intended to echo a Nazi salute. Image People gathered outside a Tesla dealership earlier this month in Austin to protest Mr. Musk. Credit... Desiree Rios for The New York Times Even as Mr. Musk departs, his companies still have their friends — and their business — in Washington. Sean P. Duffy, the transportation secretary, agreed at his confirmation hearing to re-examine $633,000 in safety fines against SpaceX delivered by the Biden administration. The Federal Aviation Administration, meanwhile, has continued to approve launch licenses for SpaceX, even after two recent incidents in which its newest rocket called Starship exploded over the Caribbean, forcing airplanes to divert to avoid falling debris. Asked if Mr. Musk's presence in the Trump administration has affected how the F.A.A. treats SpaceX, the agency on Thursday had a one-word response: 'No.' SpaceX, already one of the biggest NASA and Pentagon contractors, could win billions of dollars in new contracts if Mr. Trump's budget proposal is approved by Congress, particularly plans to build a new missile defense system he has called a 'Golden Dome,' and to accelerate an effort by NASA to bring astronauts to Mars. The Justice Department in February also disclosed that it was moving to dismiss a case against SpaceX, first filed in 2023, that accused the rocket company of discriminating against people based on their citizenship status. Three days before Brett Shumate, a senior Justice Department official, submitted the document to dismiss the case against SpaceX, he filed a separate legal memo on behalf of the government defending Mr. Musk's work at DOGE. 'He is an employee of the White House office,' Mr. Shumate wrote in his Feb. 17 memo to a federal court in Washington, referring to Mr. Musk. 'And he only has the ability to advise the president, or communicate the president's directives, like other senior White House officials.' Image Mr. Musk's SpaceX, already one of the biggest NASA and Pentagon contractors, could win billions of dollars in new contracts if President Trump's budget proposal is approved by Congress. Credit... Gabriel V. Cárdenas for The New York Times Another thorn in SpaceX's side was also curtailed while Mr. Musk worked in government. The Fish and Wildlife Service had two local staff members who routinely monitored SpaceX activities in South Texas. They had raised questions since testing operations started there in 2019 about harm that SpaceX had caused to an adjacent state park land and a National Wildlife Refuge, including fires from launch mishaps and damage to nests of threatened bird species. One of those wildlife biologists retired, and a second was transferred late last year to a new post. 'There is not any real oversight going on now there on a regular basis,' said Jim Chapman, a board member at SaveRGV, an environmental group in South Texas. An email sent to the spokeswoman still listed on the agency website as the regional contact bounced back, saying she no longer worked for Fish and Wildlife. Reporting was contributed by Maggie Haberman , Zach Montague , Theodore Schleifer , Michael D. Shear and Eileen Sullivan .
