Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Android 15 beta testers who left the program before QPR1 betas arrived can now move to Android 15 stable without wiping their devices.
- Testers on QPR1 are supposed to have to wait until that release hits stable before they’ll be able to do the same.
- Instead, some QPR testers leaving the program now are seeing the option for a no-wipe update to Android 15 stable — except it doesn’t work.
When you’re a hardcore Android enthusiast, you’re going to want to live life on the bleeding edge of Google’s very latest software. That probably means not just rocking a Pixel phone, but also making sure you’re signed up to participate in the newest Android beta. Navigating all your options for accessing Android betas can get confusing, fast, and right now Google seems to be only adding to the confusion by sending some beta testers notifications about an update they shouldn’t be getting.
Google got the Android 15 hype train started all the way back in February, with the first release of the first Developer Preview. By April, we were on to regular beta releases, and those continued to roll out over the months that followed. But then over the summer, Google also began making available the first Android 15 Quarterly Platform Release (QPR) for beta testing. This was a separate trial that extended after the regular Android 15 beta, and just because you were trying out that didn’t mean you also had to test QPR1.
This week, Android 15 left testing and arrived as an update for Pixel phones everywhere. And while the regular Android 15 beta is long over, QPR testing continues. What happens if you decide you’re done with running beta software, and want to move back to the stable channel? Well, that’s also a little complicated, and can require you to wipe your device in the process, losing all data you haven’t backed up. Here’s how Google explains it:
You can opt out of the [beta] program at any time to return to the stable public version of Android. When you opt-out of the program, all user data on the device will be wiped.
During the beta program’s release cycle, there will be stable releases to the public (the official platform release followed by Quarterly Platform Releases (QPRs)). When you apply the stable release update for the version you’re beta testing, you can opt out without a data wipe for a limited time until you apply the next beta update.
While testers on non-QPR Android 15 beta should be able to migrate to Android 15 stable without wiping their phones, that shouldn’t yet be the case for testers on Android 15 QPR1, since that stable release isn’t expected until December. Anyone on QPR1 who leaves the beta now should see themselves presented with the option to go back to Android 14 with a wipe of their data — after which they could always upgrade to 15 stable.
What we’re seeing instead, as in this Reddit thread started by JDS3RD, is that QPR testers leaving the beta are being presented with the same no-wipe option as non-QPR Android 15 beta testers. And while that may sound like a positive step forward, making it easier for testers to move to stable, it doesn’t actually work. Users who attempt to take advantage of this route report the installation failing midway through. The install process gets stuck on app optimization and doesn’t proceed forward for many hours.
It feels like these notifications went out in error, targeting QPR1 and possibly QPR2 testers rather than just those on the primary Android 15 beta. We’ve reached out to Google to see if it can share any light on what’s going on here, and will update you with anything we learn.
If you’ve received the notification, note that the update will likely not install. You can stay on the beta build that you are on (even after you have opted out), until you receive another such OTA notification around December when the Android 15 QPR 1 build releases.
Thanks to Radomir Gadzic for the tip!
