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The New Android 16 Beta Has a Big Visual Overhaul. Here’s How to Install It on Your Pixel

The latest Android 16 update transitions to Quarterly Platform Releases and includes the latest visual overhaul for the OS.

If you hadn’t heard already, Android is about to get a lot more «jelly-like» thanks to a design overhaul called Material 3 Expressive. Its official launch will likely be alongside the next Pixel devices, but the latest beta build of Android 16 now includes several pieces of the new look that existing Pixel owners can play around with right now.  

Last month’s Android 16 beta 4 marked the end of the beta program this year, but that doesn’t mean new Android 16 builds will stop releasing. As it historically has, the beta program has transitioned to Quarterly Platform Release updates. These releases are still betas, but they are more stable than the preceding builds and offer a look at more features that will eventually come to devices in future Feature Drops. 

Among all of this week’s Google I/O 2025 announcements, Android didn’t take up much space outside of a few mentions. That’s mostly due to the fact that a majority of what’s new for the OS this year was announced during The Android Show last week, with the new design at the forefront.  

Announced on Reddit during the I/O keynote, the QPR1 update includes some of the new Material 3 Expressive design elements that very much change the way the OS «feels»  — even if not every piece of the redesign is in place yet.If you held off from the beta program but don’t want to wait for the official release to get your hands on Material 3 Expressive, now’s your chance. Below, we’ll show you how to install it on your Pixel device. 

For more, don’t miss our Google I/O 2025 recap.

What’s new in Android 16 QPR1?

The big news here is that this QPR build includes several pieces of the Material 3 Expressive design overhaul. It’s a fresh take on the OS while still looking like a natural progression of what was there before. It’s easier to find important actions within the OS, and the new design will eventually make its way to apps when developers adopt the new design language. Google has already shown off a few of the apps it plans to update with Material 3 Expressive, including Gmail, Fitbit and Google Photos.

While the public release will include more of Material 3 Expressive, the biggest visual changes are present here. The launcher, notifications, quick settings and lock screen all «pop» like never before.

According to the Reddit post, in addition to Material 3 Expressive, the QPR1 update also includes «new platform features, bug fixes, performance optimizations, and the August 2025 security patches.» Specifics aren’t given in the release notes, but the security patch on the Reddit post differs from what the release notes say, so expect to still have the May 5, 2025, security patch after the update is installed.

What Pixel devices can install the Android 16 QPR1?

In order to install the Android 16 QPR1, you’ll need a compatible Pixel. Here’s the full list of supported devices.

  • Pixel 6, 6a, and 6 Pro
  • Pixel 7, 7a, and 7 Pro
  • Pixel Fold
  • Pixel Tablet
  • Pixel 8, 8a, and 8 Pro
  • Pixel 9, 9a, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold

How to install the Android 16 QPR1

Installing the Android 16 QPR1 build is easy. 

If you’re running the last Android 16 Beta release, and have a compatible device, you don’t need to do anything. You should be able to check for a system update and the QPR should begin to download.

If you’re new to installing Android 16 on your device, here’s how to get things moving:

  1. Go to the Android Beta site and log in to your Google account.
  2. Click or tap on «View your eligible devices» or just scroll down to the section.
  3. You should see the devices associated with the Google account you’ve logged in with.
  4. Under the device on which you’d like to install the Android 16 update, click or tap the «+ Opt in» button.
  5. Agree to the terms of the beta program and click or tap «Confirm and enroll.»

Once your device is enrolled, you can check to see if the update is waiting for you. It typically doesn’t take long.

  • On your Pixel, go to your Settings menu. 
  • Tap System.
  • Tap Software updates. 
  • Tap System update.

From there, the Android 16 QPR1 build should start downloading to your device. If it continues to say «Your Pixel is up to date,» give it a few more minutes or try restarting your phone, then try again. Moreover, if the update that appears is the Android 16 Beta 4 for whatever reason, download and install that, and check for updates again once your Pixel restarts. 

Alternatively, you can flash the update to your Pixel.

For more, check out why Android 16 is being released earlier this year. 

Technologies

What a Proposed Moratorium on State AI Rules Could Mean for You

Congressional Republicans have proposed a 10-year pause on the enforcement of state regulations around artificial intelligence.

States couldn’t enforce regulations on artificial intelligence technology for a decade under a plan being considered in the US House of Representatives. The legislation, in an amendment to the federal government’s budget bill, says no state or political subdivision «may enforce any law or regulation regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems or automated decision systems» for 10 years. The proposal would still need the approval of both chambers of Congress and President Donald Trump before it can become law. The House is expected to vote on the full budget package this week.

AI developers and some lawmakers have said federal action is necessary to keep states from creating a patchwork of different rules and regulations across the US that could slow the technology’s growth. The rapid growth in generative AI since ChatGPT exploded on the scene in late 2022 has led companies to fit the technology in as many spaces as possible. The economic implications are significant, as the US and China race to see which country’s tech will predominate, but generative AI poses privacy, transparency and other risks for consumers that lawmakers have sought to temper.

«We need, as an industry and as a country, one clear federal standard, whatever it may be,» Alexandr Wang, founder and CEO of the data company Scale AI, told lawmakers during an April hearing. «But we need one, we need clarity as to one federal standard and have preemption to prevent this outcome where you have 50 different standards.»

Efforts to limit the ability of states to regulate artificial intelligence could mean fewer consumer protections around a technology that is increasingly seeping into every aspect of American life. «There have been a lot of discussions at the state level, and I would think that it’s important for us to approach this problem at multiple levels,» said Anjana Susarla, a professor at Michigan State University who studies AI. «We could approach it at the national level. We can approach it at the state level too. I think we need both.»

Several states have already started regulating AI

The proposed language would bar states from enforcing any regulation, including those already on the books. The exceptions are rules and laws that make things easier for AI development and those that apply the same standards to non-AI models and systems that do similar things. These kinds of regulations are already starting to pop up. The biggest focus is not in the US, but in Europe, where the European Union has already implemented standards for AI. But states are starting to get in on the action.

Colorado passed a set of consumer protections last year, set to go into effect in 2026. California adopted more than a dozen AI-related laws last year. Other states have laws and regulations that often deal with specific issues such as deepfakes or require AI developers to publish information about their training data. At the local level, some regulations also address potential employment discrimination if AI systems are used in hiring.

«States are all over the map when it comes to what they want to regulate in AI,» said Arsen Kourinian, partner at the law firm Mayer Brown. So far in 2025, state lawmakers have introduced at least 550 proposals around AI, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In the House committee hearing last month, Rep. Jay Obernolte, a Republican from California, signaled a desire to get ahead of more state-level regulation. «We have a limited amount of legislative runway to be able to get that problem solved before the states get too far ahead,» he said.

While some states have laws on the books, not all of them have gone into effect or seen any enforcement. That limits the potential short-term impact of a moratorium, said Cobun Zweifel-Keegan, managing director in Washington for the International Association of Privacy Professionals. «There isn’t really any enforcement yet.» 

A moratorium would likely deter state legislators and policymakers from developing and proposing new regulations, Zweifel-Keegan said. «The federal government would become the primary and potentially sole regulator around AI systems,» he said.

What a moratorium on state AI regulation means

AI developers have asked for any guardrails placed on their work to be consistent and streamlined. During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, that an EU-style regulatory system «would be disastrous» for the industry. Altman suggested instead that the industry develop its own standards.

Asked by Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, if industry self-regulation is enough at the moment, Altman said he thought some guardrails would be good but, «It’s easy for it to go too far. As I have learned more about how the world works, I am more afraid that it could go too far and have really bad consequences.» (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, parent company of CNET, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Concerns from companies — both the developers that create AI systems and the «deployers» who use them in interactions with consumers — often stem from fears that states will mandate significant work such as impact assessments or transparency notices before a product is released, Kourinian said. Consumer advocates have said more regulations are needed, and hampering the ability of states could hurt the privacy and safety of users.

«AI is being used widely to make decisions about people’s lives without transparency, accountability or recourse — it’s also facilitating chilling fraud, impersonation and surveillance,» Ben Winters, director of AI and privacy at the Consumer Federation of America, said in a statement. «A 10-year pause would lead to more discrimination, more deception and less control — simply put, it’s siding with tech companies over the people they impact.»

A moratorium on specific state rules and laws could result in more consumer protection issues being dealt with in court or by state attorneys general, Kourinian said. Existing laws around unfair and deceptive practices that are not specific to AI would still apply. «Time will tell how judges will interpret those issues,» he said.

Susarla said the pervasiveness of AI across industries means states might be able to regulate issues like privacy and transparency more broadly, without focusing on the technology. But a moratorium on AI regulation could lead to such policies being tied up in lawsuits. «It has to be some kind of balance between ‘we don’t want to stop innovation,’ but on the other hand, we also need to recognize that there can be real consequences,» she said.

Much policy around the governance of AI systems does happen because of those so-called technology-agnostic rules and laws, Zweifel-Keegan said. «It’s worth also remembering that there are a lot of existing laws and there is a potential to make new laws that don’t trigger the moratorium but do apply to AI systems as long as they apply to other systems,» he said.

Moratorium draws opposition ahead of House vote

House Democrats have said the proposed pause on regulations would hinder states’ ability to protect consumers. Rep. Jan Schakowsky called the move «reckless» in a committee hearing on AI regulation Wednesday. «Our job right now is to protect consumers,» the Illinois Democrat said.

Republicans, meanwhile, contended that state regulations could be too much of a burden on innovation in artificial intelligence. Rep. John Joyce, a Pennsylvania Republican, said in the same hearing that Congress should create a national regulatory framework rather than leaving it to the states. «We need a federal approach that ensures consumers are protected when AI tools are misused, and in a way that allows innovators to thrive.»

At the state level, a letter signed by 40 state attorneys general — of both parties — called for Congress to reject the moratorium and instead create that broader regulatory system. «This bill does not propose any regulatory scheme to replace or supplement the laws enacted or currently under consideration by the states, leaving Americans entirely unprotected from the potential harms of AI,» they wrote.

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AT&T Is Buying 95% of Lumen’s Quantum Fiber. Will Prices Go Up?

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Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for May 22, #445

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 445 for May 22.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Today’s NYT Strands puzzle has some very long answers, which might be tough to unscramble. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Keeping an eye on things

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: They may save or defend.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • DATE, DATES, WRAP, ROTE, TOTE, CURT, SEEN, NEST, NETS, DRAW, WARD, STEW, TEES, TRUST, STEED, TEED, GUARD, TROT, TRAP

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you’ve got all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • STEWARD, TRUSTEE, GUARDIAN, CUSTODIAN, PROTECTOR

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is TAKECARE. To find it, start with the T that’s two letters to the right on the top row, and wind down.

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