Android 16 QPR3 finally lets you see exactly which app is tracking your location

Google rolled out Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 earlier today for Tensor-powered Pixel devices. While it includes expected features like flashlight brightness controls and navigation button order settings — changes we anticipated from recent Android Canary releases — it also brought a surprise: the return of the expandable location indicator in the status bar.

To provide some context, Google introduced privacy indicators in Android 12 to alert you when apps access your camera or microphone. When active, a green icon appears in the status bar; tapping it opens a privacy dialog that reveals exactly which apps are using these permissions. However, location access is treated a bit differently. Although Android similarly displays a status bar icon when an app checks your location, and the aforementioned privacy dialog is titled “Microphone, Camera & Location,” the system currently fails to identify exactly which app is pinging your location.

Left: Location indicator (unexpandable) in Android 16 QPR2. Middle & right: Microphone, Camera & Location dialog not showing location access.

Android 16 QPR3 rectifies this by enabling the expandable location indicator. Unlike the solid green background used for camera and microphone alerts, the location indicator features a solid blue background (though the system reverts to green if multiple permissions are actively being used). More importantly, the “Microphone, Camera & Location” dialog now correctly lists the specific apps accessing your location. Google briefly tested this functionality in Android 13 but never rolled it out publicly.

New expandable status bar indicator for location access in Android 16 QPR3.

It is unclear why Google chose to revive this feature now, but we welcome its return regardless. Background location access can be invasive, so giving users insight into which apps are tracking them is a big win for transparency.