Google is adding temporary restrictions to an already complex system of betas for Android. As a result, you probably won’t be able to enjoy the Android 13 beta on your Pixel right after signing up.
Signed up for the Android 13 beta, but your Pixel still couldn’t install it? Rest assured, this is not a bug, but a restriction recently imposed by Google. As explained XDA Developers, the firm has been using two separate channels since last March to deploy Android beta updates to its Pixel smartphones: a first channel dedicated to Quarterly Platform Releases (QPR), which now also includes Pixel Feature Drop updates, and a second channel dedicated this time to betas of major system updates. In April, Google therefore deployed, in parallel, two different betas via these two respective channels: Android 12 QPR3 Beta 2 and Android 13 Beta 1.
It is the latter that interests us, since Google has imposed some temporary restrictions blocking, in some cases, its installation just after registration. Earlier this week on Reddit, the firm explained that users who installed the May security update after taking advantage of Android 12 May 2022 steady release, should be able to take advantage of the beta program for Android 13.
A beta system that looks like a mess
On the other hand, the deployment in OTA (Over the Air) of the beta is postponed. The motive is to be found in the Android 12 QPR3 Beta 2 build and the Android 13 Beta 1 build, which are older than the May update, explains XDA Developers. That said, Google promises that Android 12 QPR3 Beta 3 will arrive within the next few weeks. The latter will also not allow the immediate installation of beta 1 of Android 13, but will allow the transition to beta 2 when it is available (Google promises it “soon”). In other words, a little more patience.
Note that if the complexity of this staggered system puts you off (or annoys you), a third way exists: that of manual installation by flashing your smartphone. A complete backup of the target device is however necessary, since the operation will erase all its contents.
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