Google has released Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3 for eligible Pixel devices, with the update bringing a broader set of changes than the previous beta.
The biggest visible addition is a new Quick Settings layout editor. Users can rearrange key sections of the panel, including the brightness slider, Quick Settings tiles and media controls. That means people can move frequently used controls to positions that better fit how they use their phones.
Google is also expanding Android’s theming options. Users can fine-tune the system color with a slider and choose from four styles: Neutral, Soft, Bright and Bold. The update adds more blur effects to the lock screen, including the notification area, shortcuts and fingerprint interface. Foldable users also get improvements to windowed apps, including an app handle for moving between windowed and full-screen modes.
Google targets call-forwarding scams
The most consequential change may be the security update around call forwarding.
Google says Android 17 now analyzes call-forwarding USSD codes, including codes such as 21, when apps attempt to run them through the TelephonyManager.sendUssdRequest() API. Standard apps will no longer be able to execute these call-forwarding codes in the background using only the CALL_PHONE permission. Blocked attempts will return a USSD_ERROR_NOT_ALLOWED callback.
Android will also show an operating system-level confirmation when users manually enter call-forwarding codes through the system dialer. Google says the change is intended to counter social-engineering scams that trick people into activating call forwarding. Other USSD functions, including mobile-money transfers and account checks, are not affected.
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Cellular security gets a bigger upgrade
Android Authority identified broader additions to Android’s Mobile Network Security feature. The beta includes a timestamped SIM security timeline that records modem-detected events, including when a cellular network accesses device identifiers such as the IMEI or IMSI. Users with multiple active SIMs can filter the events by SIM.
The update also exposes encryption cipher information for cellular connections. Strings found in the beta suggest Google is preparing warnings for threats including downgrade, denial-of-service, jamming and location-tracking attacks, although features discovered in an APK teardown may change or never reach a public release.
QPR2 Beta 3 suggests Google is using its quarterly releases for more than cosmetic experimentation. The combination of deeper customization and protections against telecom fraud points toward an Android experience that gives users more control while quietly putting tighter limits on risky background behavior.
The beta is available to enrolled users with a Pixel 6a or newer supported Pixel device. Google is distributing build CP41.260731.005.A2 to the Pixel 6a, Pixel 7 series, Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet, while newer eligible models receive build CP41.260731.005.B1.
Read more: Google’s call-forwarding protections are part of a wider security push targeting Android scams, theft, spyware and malicious apps.