Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3.1 Rolls Out With ‘No Data Wipe’ OTA Update

After weeks of delays — including issues from last week — Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3.1 users are finally receiving the long-awaited “no data wipe” OTA update.

Some beta testers first began getting the opt-out update on September 12. (On our end, the OTA only appeared for the Pixel Tablet at that time.) As of this morning, however, the update is now rolling out to everyone who exited the Android Beta Program — including those who opted out early to avoid QPR2 bugs — such as our Pixel 8a.

On the Pixel 8a, the Android 16 QPR1 OTA is a relatively small 39.57 MB patch. It updates the July 2025 security patch to the September release, arriving roughly a week (or slightly more) before next month’s update. To install it, navigate to:

Settings → Software Updates → System Update.

While the opt-out process is usually straightforward, this cycle was unusually problematic. The new OTA arrives after Beta 3.1 users reported several issues over the past few days — including Google Wallet and NFC Tap-to-Pay failures. Some users also experienced connection problems with Pixel’s exclusive VPN service.

In short: After a bumpy rollout and several frustrating bugs, Google is finally delivering a clean exit path from the Android 16 beta — and this time, you won’t lose your data in the process.