Google starts rolling out the monthly and September Pixel Drop updates for Pixel 6 and newer devices. This Pixel drop update is big and brings the main attraction of Android 16, the Material 3 Expressive design.
Google is adopting a different major Android rollout approach, starting with Android 16. In the new approach, the features of a major Android update are released in different builds. The first build released in June didn’t include Material 3 Expressive design language, and now finally making its way to Pixel devices through the first Android 16 Pixel Drop update.
The Pixel Drop and September monthly updates are rolling out starting today. Since the rollout happens in phases, it can take some time to reach all users.
First, let’s talk about the monthly update rolling out with build number BP3A.250905.014 or BD3A.250721.001.B7. This update addresses several bugs and brings improvements. Here is the official changelog:
Audio
- Fix for issue Call Audio quality in certain conditions
- Fix for issue causing occasional system instability and performance slowdowns in certain conditions
- General improvements for system stability and performance in certain conditions
Battery & Charging
- Fix for: Battery Health display issues in certain conditions
Biometrics
- General improvements for fingerprint recognition and response in certain conditions
Bluetooth
- Fix for improvements in stability or performance for Bluetooth in certain conditions
Camera
- General improvements for camera stability and performance in certain conditions\
Display & Graphics
- Fix for issue with screen turning black during transitions from a webpage in the in-app browser under certain conditions
Framework
- Fix for an issue where users are unable to type and keyboard stops responding in certain conditions
- Fix for issue with the power button stops working, in certain instances when connected to Android Auto and charging via USB-C
- Fix for secondary language showing up in quick settings in certain conditions
- General improvements for performance and stability in certain UI transitions
Kernel
- Fix for a stability and performance in certain conditions
System
- Fix for a system stability and performance issues in certain conditions
- Fix for issue causing Pixel launcher crash in certain conditions
- Fix for issue occasionally causing system instability in certain conditions
Telephony
- General improvements for network connection stability and performance in certain conditions
User Interface
- Fix for a crash impacting Android stability metrics
- Fix for a Java crash in System UI related to the Quick Tap gesture
- Fix for devices becoming unresponsive to touch across multiple screens or apps in certain conditions
- Fix for issue where long screenshots would sometimes duplicate content in certain conditions
- Fix for issues with navigation gestures in certain conditions
- Fix for issues with Quick Settings (QS) shade in certain conditions
- Fix for: Home button not responding reliably, leading to a frustrating user experience and difficulty navigating applications
Now let’s talk about the September Pixel Drop update. This update brings the much-awaited Material 3 Expressive to all eligible phones. Earlier, it was available through Android 16 QPR beta, but now rolling out to everyone.
Here’s a look at the Material 3 Expressive design changes:
If you’ve an eligible Pixel device, all you have to do is wait for the update. Once the update is available, install it and enjoy the latest Expressive design.
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