Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR Google is now rolling out Android 16 QPR2 Beta 2 to Pixel devices, which brings a long-awaited customization feature to the OS.
This new beta build finally adds icon shape customization options, letting users change the look of their home screen icons.
While this release focuses more on refinement, it notably does not include the flashlight brightness controls seen in earlier development builds.
Google plans to roll out the second quarterly release of Android 16 this December, bringing major new features like an expanded dark theme, auto-themed app icons, and more. Ahead of the official launch, Google is previewing the update, known as Android 16 QPR2, through a series of beta releases. The latest of these, Beta 2, is now rolling out to compatible Pixel devices and includes a long-awaited customization feature.
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Custom icon shapes As expected for a later beta release, Android 16 QPR2 Beta 2 doesn’t pack as many new features as last month’s QPR2 Beta 1 release, focusing more on refining the build ahead of its stable launch. Still, the update delivers on a much-anticipated feature: the icon shape customization options we first spotted in the 2508 Android Canary release.
New developer verification APIs It also adds new APIs that support the developer verification feature that Google announced last month. There’s also a new ADB command to let you simulate a verification outcome for testing purposes:
Code Copy Text adb shell pm set-developer-verification-result
Protection from SMS OTP hijacking Next, the update adds a new security feature that delays the delivery of messages containing an SMS retriever hash for three hours. This helps prevent OTP hijacking from apps that have access to your SMS database. The RECEIVE_SMS broadcast will be withheld and SMS provider database queries will be filtered during this three hour period. The default SMS, assistant, and dialer apps, as well as connected device companion and system apps will be exempted from this delay.
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