Android 17 QPR3 Beta 4 brings back missing Bluetooth absolute volume setting

This week was already shaping up to be a big one for Google’s mobile platform, with Android 17 QPR2 finally getting its stable release alongside the November Pixel Drop for Google’s phones, and now we’re already getting our latest preview of what’s coming to Android in 2027 with today’s release of Android 17 QPR3 Beta 4.

Compared to Beta 3’s exhaustive list of changes, Google’s Beta 4 changelog is much more restrained, and the company only details a handful of new fixes:

• Memory leaks in system_server cause severe UI lag, Pixel Launcher crashes, and unexpected device restarts. (Issue #440977407, Issue #560540681, Issue #561107077, Issue #562344942, Issue #564034352)
• Conscrypt throws an unclear IllegalArgumentException message when TLSv1 or TLSv1.1 connection protocols are rejected for apps targeting API level 36. (Issue #568014509)
• The on-screen keyboard appears visually clipped or partially cut off during text input. (Issue #568381960)
• Excessive Bluetooth background activity consumes an abnormal amount of power and rapidly drains the device battery. (Issue #566820683)

Admittedly, those memory leak and Bluetooth problems sound pretty severe, and that keyboard glitch could be incredibly frustrating for affected users. If you were experiencing either of them in an earlier QPR3 build, make sure you update to Beta 4 as soon as possible.

Google’s Mishaal Rahman also points out the return of a missing feature in this release:

Just wanted y’all to know that we heard your feedback on the missing “disable absolute volume” Bluetooth setting, and we brought it back. It has already been restored in the Android 17 QPR3 Beta 4 release (Settings > System > Developer options > Bluetooth > Disable absolute volume) for beta testers, and it should roll out for everyone else in the stable Android 17 QPR3 platform release.

If you’ve got a Pixel 6a or later Pixel device and would like to get on Google’s testing track, first back up all your phone’s data, and then go ahead and register your hardware with Google’s Android Beta for Pixel program.