Android 17 QPR2 Beta 5 Rolls Out to Pixel: Build CP41.260828.004.A8 Fixes 8 Bugs

Google began pushing Android 17 QPR2 Beta 5 to enrolled Pixel phones on September 16, almost three weeks after Beta 4, with build CP41.260828.004.A8 for most devices and eight listed bug fixes, including random reboots while scrolling and camera crashes in panorama mode. The build still carries the August 5, 2026 security patch, so testers are now a patch behind the stable Android 17 QPR1 release Google shipped a day earlier.

Two builds, split by device age

Google's release notes list two build numbers for Beta 5. Owners of the Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, 7 Pro, 7a, the original Pixel Fold and the Pixel Tablet get CP41.260828.005.A6. Everything newer gets CP41.260828.004.A8.

The full eligible list is the Pixel 6a; Pixel 7, 7 Pro and 7a; Pixel Tablet and Fold; Pixel 8, 8 Pro and 8a; Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, 9 Pro Fold and 9a; Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, 10 Pro Fold and 10a; and the Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL and 11 Pro Fold. That last group matters: the Pixel 11 series was left waiting when Beta 4 shipped in late August, and it now sits on the same beta track as older models. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro remain off the list. Google Play services is unchanged at version 26.28.33.

The eight fixes in Beta 5

This is a clean-up release, not a feature drop. Google says it resolved:

• Phones rebooting on their own during long scrolling sessions in media-heavy apps.
• The camera crashing while it processed panorama shots.
• Noise and distortion over Bluetooth audio after a call ended or was answered.
• Enhanced HDR mode staying active after being switched off.
• The touchscreen freezing after launching Google Wallet with the power-button shortcut.
• The system volume slider not appearing when using hardware buttons while casting.
• Bluetooth device icons not changing after the device type was edited in Settings.
• Stray background highlights in search fields, plus a navigation problem when unlocking Private Space.

Not every complaint from testers made the cut. Some users in beta forums say the Google search bar has disappeared from the bottom of the Pixel Launcher after updating, which Google has not addressed in the notes.

How to get it, and how to leave

If your Pixel is already enrolled in the Android Beta for Pixel program, Beta 5 arrives as a normal over-the-air update; check Settings > System > Software updates if it has not appeared. New testers can enrol at Google's Android Beta page, and anyone who wants to skip the staged rollout can flash the build with the Android Flash Tool or sideload the OTA image from the Android developer site. Emulator images are available for x86 (64-bit) and ARM v8-A.

Leaving is the part that trips people up. Google only allows an opt-out without wiping your phone after a stable release has been applied, and that window closes the moment you install the next beta. If you opt out while running Beta 5, the downgrade to stable will erase the device, so back up first.

What developers should test

QPR2 also tightens a known fraud route. Apps calling sendUssdRequest() can no longer send call-forwarding codes such as *21# without the CALL_PHONE permission, and manually dialled forwarding codes now trigger a system confirmation prompt. Other USSD requests are untouched, but Google asks developers to handle the new USSD_ERROR_NOT_ALLOWED callback cleanly.

Google has not given a date for the stable QPR2 release. For background on what the Pixel 11 build brings, see our earlier Pixel 11 QPR2 beta coverage.