Google is rolling out Android 17 QPR2 Beta 6 to Pixel testers, aiming to fix an assortment of crashes and unexpected reboots for a few phones.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold experienced an unexpected reboot, thanks to a third-party app issue when trying to open the camera's viewfinder.
QPR2 Beta 5 rolled out almost ten days ago; however, we are down the final stretch since Google achieved Platform Stability with this update.
Google continues to press ahead with its Android !7 QPR2 Beta with another update for Pixel users.
Over on the Android Beta subreddit, Google announced that it's rolling out Android 17 QPR2 Beta 6 to Pixel testers. The company states all devices are synced up on build numbers, so all users will find vCP41.260831.007. Eligible phones include the Pixel 6a up to the Pixel 10 series (10a, too). There's a handful of fixes arriving late this week, and one concerns a major Pixel 9 Pro Fold reboot problem.
This was a fairly prominent issue for Pixel testers in the QPR2 Beta. Several threads have appeared on the Issue Tracker, informing Google that their devices have experienced an "unexpected reboot." Google states the issue would occur when "initializing the camera viewfinder in third-party applications." The fix for this should hopefully alleviate any problems users have been experiencing.
Elsewhere, QPR2 Beta 6 offers a fix for a severe "system kernel crash." This problem also affected devices when a third-party app would "request simultaneous camera and microphone access" during biometric verification stages.
Clarity to the situation
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
A visual regression causing letterboxed content to leak through the status bar during activity transitions
The screensaver displays a blank screen while charging
Locked applications could not be dismissed using swipe gestures in Recents
An issue that caused device crashes, reboots, or hangs when scrolling
There are two things to note about Beta 6. One user reports that Google removed blurred notifications on the lock screen. This drew quick attention from Mishaal Rahman on Reddit, who clarified the situation, stating, "The product team temporarily reverted the lock screen blur effect from this recent beta release in order to fix some bugs."
Other users note that their phones (Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 7, Pixel 9) have received Kernel 6.12. Many note improved fluidity on their devices.
QPR2 Beta 5 rolled out almost ten days ago, and it seems Google is keen on getting these major fixes in as quickly as possible. A few additional Bluetooth fixes were included last week, following Android 17 QPR2's "Platform Stability" achievement. We continue our trek down the final stretch toward a full release.
Meta reportedly debuted its latest gadget, the Muse Charm, which is designed to keep users connected directly to its AI via 5G connectivity.
The Charm features a 2-inch OLED touch screen, a camera, a microphone, and speakers, with a price tag that could encroach on smartwatches.
During the event, Zuckerberg stated, "...if you’re not wearing glasses, this is going to be by far the fastest way" to talk to Muse AI.
We're winding down from Meta Connect 2026, but one thing stole the show for us (aside from AI glasses), and that's the Muse Charm.
A post by The Verge discussed this AI device called the Muse Charm, stating it will feature a "built-in 5G modem" so consumers can communicate with Meta's AI. To us, this looks like the classic Tamagotchi but for the modern age. Meta provided us with images of this device, showcasing the small, rounded size, similar to the virtual pet gadget we used to have (Tamagotchis are making a return, though).
Meta is reportedly eyeing a December launch for the Muse Charm, but there's more to this. It's been announced to have a 2-inch OLED touchscreen, a camera, a microphone, built-in speakers, and a USB-C port.
The entire point of the Muse Charm is to let consumers use Meta's AI, Muse. At least, that's the gist of the situation Bloomberg was able to glean. What's more, users can reportedly use the charm's camera to give the AI additional real-world context. By this, it seems no different than opening your camera with Gemini Live and asking, "What does this sign say?"
Some additional coverage by CNBC highlighted more about the Muse Charm. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "We’ve packed a lot of technology with this little guy. So, if you’re not wearing glasses, this is going to be by far the fastest way to talk to your Muse and to show it what’s going on around you." Aside from cute avatars designed to attract the user, the publication notes that the Muse Charm is a part of Meta's bigger AI push.
Elsewhere, it's been alleged that the Muse Charm could see pricing mirroring smartwatches.
Muse will charm you
(Image credit: Meta)
Meta Connect 2026 was packed with a bunch of reveals from the company. While it revealed new AI glasses, it had another reveal in store: VR Glasses. Meta's new device caught Android Central's Nicholas Sutrich off guard. While many VR-related devices are headsets—larger and heavier—Meta's VR Glasses strip that all away. This device is reportedly 83% lighter and 60% smaller than your typical VR headset (Apple Vision Pro).
One thing to note is that these VR Glasses are not meant to be worn all day. They're not AI glasses. Regarding their specifications, the VR Glasses feature 5K micro-OLED panels and a 37 pixels-per-degree (PPD) resolution. This level of clarity didn't come without compromise. Sutrich states Meta achieved this by narrowing the FOV (field of view). These VR Glasses are roughly 11 degrees narrower than the Quest 3S and 25 degrees narrower than the Quest 3.
Android Central's Take
I'm more than a little curious about why this is a thing. The idea of walking around with a tiny device resembling a Tamagotchi... for the sole purpose of communicating with Muse seems strange. What makes it more strange is the alleged pricing—near the levels of a smartwatch? The Charm has a camera (oh boy), a touch screen, and will reportedly play nice with Android and iOS for setup purposes. To me, it seems like a gimmick, and one that I'm unsure of the purpose it serves.
Motorola deals are hardly uncommon, but if you're a Verizon customer, you may have noticed that a few key models are missing from the carrier's store. Fortunately, that changes today, as Verizon just added some new 2026 Razr phones to its site with some excellent discounts to boot.
Whether you want the groundbreaking Motorola Razr Fold, the crowd-pleasing Razr Plus, or an exclusive variant of the standard Motorola Razr (2026), September's Verizon deals spell great news for Android users and foldable phone fans alike. Just be aware that most of the new offers require a trade-in to receive the full discount, so get ready to dig up those old devices.
Need a new smartwatch? Verizon has also started carrying the Moto Watch Ultra, and you can get this sleek wearable for free when you bundle the purchase with a Motorola phone. Needless to say, things are clearly changing over at Verizon, and Motorola fans should take note.
Verizon just got some new Motorola phones in stock - don't miss these deals
The Motorola Razr Plus (2026) is probably my favorite phone in the 2026 Razr lineup, balancing premium design and durability with significant upgrades to the camera tech and battery life.
Trade in an old or broken phone and add a line with the Unlimited Ultimate plan and Verizon will now give you the Razr Plus (2026) for free. Considering that the clamshell device usually starts at $1,100, that discount is nothing to scoff at. View Deal
The Razr Fold is Motorola's first attempt at building a book-style foldable, and it's already giving Samsung's Galaxy Z line a run for its money in 2026.
Send Verizon an old or broken phone and add a line with the Unlimited Ultimate plan and you'll get $1,100 off the premium device over 36 months, a deal that puts a serious dent into the Fold's steep $1,949.99 price tag. View Deal
Did you ever wish that your flip phone had a bit more bling? The limited edition Swarovski Crystal Motorola Razr (2026) has arrived, and you can get the eye-catching foldable for FREE by trading in an eligible device and adding a line with the Unlimited Ultimate plan at Verizon. According to Motorola, each phone is hand-embedded with 35 individual Swarovski crystals and a large precision-cut crystal on the hinge. View Deal
Motorola also dropped the powerful Moto Watch Ultra this year, and you can get the new Android smartwatch for FREE by bundling it with the purchase of any Motorola phone at Verizon. You'll still have to cover the service plan for the watch, but these start at only $15 per month. View Deal
Pixel 11 users can now delegate routine calls — like checking store inventory, booking appointments, or changing reservations — directly to Gemini.
You can monitor the entire conversation via a live transcript on your screen and take over the call at any moment.
The preview begins September 24 for Gemini paid subscribers in the Phone by Google Public Beta.
Google today introduced a new task for Gemini on the Pixel 11: helping you dodge those pesky calls you keep putting off. The company is testing a feature that allows Gemini to contact businesses for routine tasks such as checking inventory, booking appointments, and changing reservations.
The idea builds on Google’s existing Hold for Me and Direct My Call features, which already take care of parts of the experience of a phone call. This time, Gemini goes one step further. You tell it what you need, and it will call the business, identify itself, go through automated menus, wait on hold, and speak with the person who answers, all through the Gemini app.
Google’s updated terms say these agentic calls are placed from your own phone number and use an AI-generated voice. That makes the feature less like a glorified voicemail assistant and more like an AI impersonating you.
You aren't handing over the phone altogether, though. The experience will include a live transcript so you can follow the conversation as it happens, Google says. If Gemini starts to go off the rails, you can take over the call at any point.
(Image credit: Google)
Google says it’s limiting the initial rollout as it works through the nuances of real-world conversations. There’s a good practical reason for Google’s decision to limit the initial rollout. These are conversations that are real. Gemini's calls are from real customers trying to book appointments, hold items, or change the date of services, meaning that businesses and the people who work for them have to deal with the AI on the other end.
The preview starts on September 24 for Gemini paid subscribers enrolled in the Phone by Google Public Beta, which is limited to Pixel 11 phones in the U.S.
Have you ever taken a photo on your phone, only to look back later and wonder where all the life went? I've seen people ask why their newer smartphone photos look dull and sterile compared to their older phone, and the answer mainly lies in how phones process photos these days.
Google seems to have heard everyone's cries and implemented a new feature on the Pixel 11 series called Camera Looks. These looks are more than a plain filter; they change how color science works and how shadows are calculated when you take a photo, leading to a result you'll hopefully like better.
What are Camera Looks?
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
To understand what Camera Looks does to your photos, you first have to understand how modern smartphone photography works. Unlike a "normal" camera, modern smartphones don't just take one picture when you tap the shutter button. Instead, your Pixel phone constantly takes pictures while the camera viewfinder is open; it just doesn't store them until you tap the shutter button.
The moment you press the shutter button, your Pixel saves roughly five photos taken before you press it, plus another five taken during and slightly after. Each photo is taken at different exposure values — meaning some photos are darker while others are brighter — to ensure the camera captures the widest range of light in an image. All this happens in less than a split second.
Your Pixel then takes those photos and combines them into a single picture at the pixel level. If you've ever taken a photo and then immediately tapped the thumbnail to see your shot, you've probably seen the picture "pop" into place and look a lot better after a second or two. This is the result of what Google calls HDR+.
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
While brightening the shadows and reducing the brightest parts of the photos might be technically excellent, it doesn't look "correct" to our eyes. After years of developing HDR+ into the industry's most technically advanced photo-processing software, Google is letting users pull back on the proverbial reins if they want to.
Google calls this extra control "Camera Looks," and it gives users a quick, easy way to make the Pixel camera look and work the way they want. You can reduce or enhance any specific processing parameters, including sharpening, shadows, vibrance, tinting, and more.
Camera Looks aren't "filters." Each look changes how the photo is processed when taken and delivers a different end look. A filter is something applied to a photo after it's taken, while Camera Looks changes the entire processing pipeline.
How to use Camera Looks on a Pixel 11
Camera Looks is supported on all Pixel 11 series phones, including the base Pixel 11, the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Google hasn't ported this feature to older Pixel phones yet, as Camera Looks currently runs at the hardware level on the Tensor G6's ISP.
Camera Looks is a simple feature on the surface, but it also lets power users dive into more granular settings. Here's how to apply basic Camera Looks to your photos:
1. Open the camera app. You can also double-press the power button to quickly launch the camera.
2. Tap the Settings Sliders button on the bottom right of the viewfinder.
3. Tap on the Looks button on the bottom left of the viewfinder.
4. The viewfinder will now transform into a series of cards. At the top, tap the dropdown next to "default look" and select your desired base processing style.
5. You can also swipe through the Camera Looks cards to choose from 7 different preset options.
(Image credit: Android Central)
Setting your look as the default
By default, you'll need to tap the Camera Looks button every time you reopen the camera. Google does this to make "normal" photo-taking easy, but you can also set your preferred camera look as the default when you open the camera. To do that, follow these steps:
1. Open the camera app.
2. Tap the photo settings icon on the bottom left. It looks like a gear.
3. Tap the More button on the top right of the pop-up. It looks like three dots.
4. Scroll down and enable Always use selected look.
(Image credit: Android Central)
Now, when you open your Pixel's camera, the Camera Look you previously configured will always be enabled. To disable it, just tap the Camera Look button on the bottom right, then swipe through the cards to select another look.
Getting the most out of Camera Looks
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
While the carousel of cards is a quick way to get some nice presets, Camera Looks lets you dial in eight different properties of the Pixel's photography engine and adjust them in granular detail. When you open Camera Looks, you'll see a row of buttons along the bottom for individual settings. Here's what each one does:
Contrast (-10 to +10): The difference between the image's brightest and darkest parts. Increase this number to create starker darks and lights, and lower it to make the image gentler.
Highlights (-10 to +10): This refers to the brightest parts of a photo, usually something like sunlight coming through a window, a reflection in glass, etc. Increase this number to brighten highlights, and decrease it to reduce them.
Shadows (-10 to +10): This setting affects the darkest parts of a photo. Increasing this number brightens all the dark parts in an image. Decreasing this number will make the darker parts even darker, resulting in higher-contrast scenes.
Vibrance (-10 to +10): This setting affects color intensity. Higher vibrance settings make colors "pop" but can look unrealistic or cartoony at too-high settings. Lower settings make colors look duller.
Tint (-10 to +10): Adjusts how green or magenta an image is. Higher numbers skew the image toward a more magenta tone, while lower numbers make the image look greener.
Warmth (-10 to +10): Adjusts how blue or yellow an image is. Higher numbers skew the image toward yellow, or warmer colors, while lower numbers skew the image toward blue, or cooler tones.
Sharpness (0 to 15): This refers to how much artificial sharpening is added to a photo. Digital photography often uses sharpening to make photos look "high resolution" by enhancing fine detail, but an image that's too sharp looks noticeably fake and often "harsh."
Grain (None/Weak/Moderate/Strong): Adds an artificial grain look to photos. This differs from digital noise, a by-product of how digital photo sensors work. The grain setting does not enhance fine detail. It only adds a grain filter.
(Image credit: Android Central)
Feel free to play with each of these settings to find the look you want. If you don't like the look of stock Pixel photos, I suggest adjusting three settings right away: shadows, vibrance, and sharpness.
Try dropping the shadows a notch or two and see if you like the look. I think the preset "Shadows" Look (found in the drop-down menu at the top of the viewfinder when Camera Looks is enabled) already does a good job of adjusting this setting.
When you're done with that, try giving vibrance a little punch-up. Start with +2 and adjust from there. That, combined with shadow darkening, should give your Pixel photos a nice pop. Lastly, try reducing sharpness just a bit by bringing it down to 8 (the default is 10). This will reduce sharpening, making the photo look more like film and less digital.
So when Sivga said it's coming out with flat-head buds, I was obviously interested. The M260 have a bland naming convention (in a sense, that fits its retro positioning), but that's thankfully the only negative thing I have to say about these buds. They cost $39 on Amazon and come with a standard 3.5mm connector, and you can also get a USB-C version (like I did) when you buy at Sivga's website (these are $40 as well).
Let's start with the design. The M260 may be aimed at the budget category, but they're made out of machined aluminum, and the build quality is exquisite. The silver finish looks great in its own right, and the gold accents add a bit of flair.
There are a decent number of these earbuds around now, but they're mostly made out of plastic, and the attention to detail that Sivga lavished on the M260 makes the earbuds stand out quite a bit. This isn't anything new; I tested Sivga's Luan headset two years ago, and it has a delightful design and a high degree of comfort. It's so good that my wife immediately stole it to use with her gaming machine.
Anyway, the flat-head design of the M260 means they're extremely comfortable to wear, and if you've used IEMs in the past and didn't quite get a good fit, you should consider giving these a go. Unlike regular earbuds where the sound tube nuzzles into your ear canal — causing fatigue with long-term use — these buds sit around the outer ear, and they don't exert any pressure. You don't get a tight seal, so there isn't the same level of noise isolation as Bluetooth earbuds, but that isn't a big problem.
Most of the time, I didn't even realize I was wearing the buds, and they're designed for all-day use. The bundled ear tips provide good cushioning, and honestly, these may just be among the most comfortable earbuds I used in a long time. Also, they're just fun to use; I couldn't keep a smile off my face the entire time I used these.
Sivga went with a standard MMCX connector to plug the buds to the cable, and that means you can easily switch out cables should you need to do so. The bundled cable is of a decent quality, and it has a nylon sheath and a braided design that gives it better durability. Oh, and the cable gets inline controls, so you can easily adjust volume and pause/play music. It has a built-in mic as well, allowing you to take calls.
Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android CentralApoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central
The USB-C model has a built-in DAC, and it is quite decent. I used the M260 with my Pixel 11 Pro XL, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Find X9 Ultra, and they did a great job with a diverse range of music. Sivga went with a custom 14.2mm dynamic driver, and it has a tight bass with a good rumble, clean mids, and smooth treble.
The mid-range is where these earbuds shine, with vocals coming through cleanly and with plenty of definition. They're a great choice if you want to listen to music or stream movies and TV shows.
Because they use USB-C, you can use the buds with just about any phone, tablet, and gaming console without having to get a dongle. That kind of convenience is a big deal in and of itself, and it's good to see Sivga provide a USB-C version.
Honestly, if you want earbuds you can plug in, you can't go wrong with the M260. They have a delightfully-retro design with unmatched comfort, great sound, and build quality that's guaranteed to last. Coming in at $40, they're a great value as well.
The Beats 360 are an interesting mix of hardware and design choices, representing a new approach to Beats headphone design. One that has Apple’s fingerprints all over it. They include some great longevity features right out of the box, so let's get into them.
Though Apple acquired Beats in 2014, the company kept its design aesthetic, with seemingly minor visual changes over the years. Twelve years later, Apple has entered the design chat. Beats has been dabbling in expanding color options for Apple accessories, and that “dabbling” shows up in the 360 ecosystem of frames and accessories.
I can’t help but notice the similarities to the AirPods Max 2. With their thin, round, telescoping arms and flatter cups, the new headphones look like they belong in a Max product lineup, rather than alongside Beats’ current headphone offerings.
The Cloud UltraPlus and Volt Performance Knit kits (Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)
This year, Beats introduces four frame colors, along with six performance knit and two ultra plush cushion color kits. Each kit includes ear cushions and a headband and costs $50. Beats says that gives you up to 256 combinations if you mix ear and headband cushions.
I have the Sky frames for review, and like the other three frame color options, these come with color-matched Performance Knit Sky ear cushions and headband. Beats also sent me a Volt Performance Knit kit (pictured on the headphones) and a Cloud UltraPlush kit.
(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)
(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)
(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)
The headbands are extremely simple to swap out. I just pulled the Sky headband off and pushed the Volt headband in. They have knit covers and silicone backs with silicone connectors that have bulbous ends that snap into the frames. The ear cushions also have silicone backs with plastic twist-to-lock nodes that lock into L-shaped grooves in the frames.
Since you get two different cushion densities, which can affect sound, the ear cushions have sensors that tell the frames to adjust the tuning so the sound profile stays consistent. Beats 360 also has a chime that sounds off when the ear cushions are properly seated. The LED on the power button will also turn red if they aren’t seated properly.
During my listening sessions, I didn't hear any distracting differences in tone or timbre between the two cushion styles.
Living to the Beat
(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)
The Beats 360 are aimed at active consumers on the go. Over the last week, I've worn them for casual listening and gym sessions. The Performance Knit has done a great job wicking sweat while keeping my ears cooler than most competing ear cushions.
For me and my giant bald head, the knit headband and cushion texture provide enough friction that the 360 stays in place when I lay flat on a bench or lean forward for pushups or barbell rows. The clamping force also makes this possible without becoming fatiguing during extended wear, thanks to the softness of the cushions. When things got really sweaty, the physical controls remained responsive, and for the first time, Beats headphones have an IPX4 protection, so I'm not second-guessing using them for sweaty gym sessions.
When the cushions and headbands get icky, you can hand-wash them with diluted liquid laundry detergent, then air-dry them (avoid the dryer). The only issue users on the go may have is that the headphones no longer fold into a small-ish "ball"; instead, the ear cups rotate flat like the AirPods Max 2, taking up more space in your workout or messenger bag.
(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)
Both sets of new ear cushions are much deeper, wider, and more comfortable than the Studio Pros. The only downside to the magnificent ear cups is that they don’t include wear-detection sensors, so they won't automatically play or pause music when you put them on or take them off. A disappointing omission for $350 headphones.
What isn't disappointing is the improved longevity, so you can actually get your money's worth. Beats is offering a $79 mail-in or carry-in battery replacement service similar to the Beats Studio Pro and Solo 4. Beats also says it'll offer a user-replaceable, self-service option in the coming months.
(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)
The nine-microphone configuration and noise-cancellation algorithms that give the 360 better ANC than the Beats Studio Pro are a boon for fitness-minded folks. In the gym or on the streets, you'll get noticeably better ANC in the high mids and high frequencies.
While that ANC still doesn’t compete with Bose or Sony for canceling voices and high-frequency noise, it does an admirable job with weight plates clanking about and high-frequency airplane cabin hum.
(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)
Beats has actively improved its sound signature since the Solo 3, and the 360s are no exception. We’ve said this over and over, but the muddy sound that pre-Apple Beats headphones had is gone, replaced by a more balanced sound with more prominent mids, greater clarity, and highs that can be a bit stilted on some tracks, teetering on the edge of sibilance.
Despite the lack of Hi-Res Wireless Audio support and the loss of USB-C lossless or 3.5mm wired audio support, you’ll still get respectable detail retrieval when listening to songs like Charles Mingus’ “Moanin’.” Though the instrumentation on “Moanin’” wasn’t the strongest I’ve heard, owing to the lack of higher-bitrate stream support, the ability to pick out different instruments in the arrangement during the most frenetic moments is respectable. I can’t say the same for many Bluetooth headphones, including the venerable Sony WH-1000XM6.
That said, the bass still rumbles on my test tracks from The Roots and Skrillex, but it's tight. The soundstage is large and open, and Dolby Atmos tracks sound fully engaging on the Beats 360.
If you’re an iPhone user, Spatial Audio with movies and content that supports it is very immersive, and I actually prefer listening to music with Spatial Audio activated.
My 360 view of the Beats 360
(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)
I called the Powerbeats Fit my favorite workout earbuds, and now I can call Beats 360 my favorite over-ear workout headphones. Just like I do with my smartwatch bands, using a separate pair for working out, daily wear, and sleeping, the ability to switch out a sweaty headband and pair of ear cushions for a dry pair is a delight. The clamping force during workouts is great. The fit and comfort of the UltraPlush cushions for more recreational active listening is wonderful.
If you’re an audiophile or a frequent traveler who prioritizes space-saving carry, you may want to consider competing products along with the Beats 360. If you’re an athlete or someone who hits the gym, the trails, or the urban jungle regularly, this is my Editor’s Choice for you.
