Android 14 Beta 2.1 is here with plenty of bug fixes for Pixel phones
Life on the bleeding edge
Google is prepping the sweet treat of Android 14 for its Pixel smartphones, and users on the beta program are starting to see a fresh new update today. The upcoming major release of Android has just hit another milestone with a Beta 2.1 hotfix making its debut alongside a bunch of stability improvements.
The second beta of Android 14 dropped a little more than two weeks ago, but unlike what you'd probably expect for such a point release, the changelog here is pretty long. Of course it doesn't appear to bring any major new features, but users who have been experiencing issues related to device setup after opting a device running an existing Android 14 beta build out of the beta initiative could be in for some relief.
The new version has a build number of UPB2.230407.019 and a Google Play Services version of 23.15.16, accompanied by the Android Security Patch Level of May 2023. As usual, the company has posted a hefty list of squashed bugs, which can be found below:
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Fixed an issue that prevented users from completing device setup after opting a device running an Android 14 beta build out of the beta program. However, this fix is not backward compatible, so users that want to opt out of the beta program should take the following steps before opting out:
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Update the device to Android 14 Beta 2.1, either through the over-the-air (OTA) update prompt, or by downloading an OTA image and then applying the update manually.
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Reset the pin, pattern, or password that's used on the device by navigating to Settings > Security & privacy > Screen lock. You can use the same pin, pattern, or password that was used previously, but you need to go through the setup flow.
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Opt out of the beta program.
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Fixed more issues that could cause the battery percentage to display as 0% regardless of the actual charge level of the device. (Issue #281890661)
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Fixed issues that sometimes caused audio disruptions with the device's speakers. (Issue #282020333), (Issue #281926462), (Issue #282558809)
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Fixed system stability issues that could cause apps or the device to freeze or crash. (Issue #281108515)
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Fixed an issue with always-on-display mode when using a device with Android Auto. (Issue #282184174)
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Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the Google Photos app to crash when trying to open certain photos.
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Fixed an issue where, while gesture navigation was enabled for a device, putting a video into picture-in-picture mode in the Google TV app made the picture-in-picture window disappear, even though playback continued and audio could still be heard.
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Fixed an issue that caused the Google Contacts app to crash when managing account settings.
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Fixed an issue where the icon for the Google Messages app did not display for notifications when always-on-display mode was enabled.
If you want to get in on the fun, just enroll your Pixel 4a 5G or newer in the Android Beta Program and check for updates. In case your device is already in the beta, you should get this version right away if you head to Settings > System > System update and spam the Check for updates button. Even if that's not working, there's always the manual method of downloading the factory images and sideloading the OTA.
Source: Android Beta Program on Reddit