Less than 24 hours after seeding the third beta of Android 16 QPR3, Google has seemingly pulled its OTA update following soft-bricking complaints from some Pixel owners. While the company has not officially announced, the OTA is not showing up for many users on the beta channel. The factory images and OTA files are still available for download, though.
Reports of Pixels getting stuck in a bootloop during the Android 16 QPR3 Beta 3 installation started popping up soon after the new beta build went live. The issue affects all compatible Pixels, from the Pixel 10 to the Pixel 8 and older phones.
Several users discovered that turning off Desktop Experience from the hidden Developer options menu before installing the update prevented the bootloop.
Since not everyone on the beta channel knows about this workaround, many users ended up with soft-bricked Pixels after attempting to install the latest Android 16 QPR3 update. Due to this, Google has seemingly pulled the beta 3 OTA until it resolves the issue.
What to do if your Pixel is already stuck in a bootloop?
If you’ve already tried installing Android 16 QPR3 Beta 3 on your Pixel and it’s now stuck in a bootloop, you can revive the phone in a few ways. Exiting the Android Beta Program won’t work in this case, though, since your device needs to be in a bootable state to download and install the stable Android 16 build.
One solution, as detailed by Android expert MishaalRahman on Reddit, requires running an ADB shell command. However, you must have ADB enabled on your Pixel and need to get shell access on the boot screen. If you can, run the following ADB command to try and revive your Pixel without a data wipe.
adb shell settings put global override_desktop_experience_features 0
Another Redditor discovered an alternative solution that doesn’t require ADB access. But you will need an external USB-C keyboard for this process, which you must connect to your phone. You can find the detailed instructions in this Reddit thread.
The above two solutions are your best bet at bringing your bootlooping Pixel back to life without a data wipe. If they don’t work, your remaining options will unfortunately involve a full data wipe.
