Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Android 15 beta testers who left the program before the QPR1 beta arrived can now migrate to Android 15 stable without wiping their device.
- QPR1 testers should wait until that release is stable before doing the same.
- Instead, some QPR testers who are currently leaving the program are seeing the option of a no-wipe update to Android 15 stable, but that doesn’t work.
If you’re a hardcore Android enthusiast, you want to live on the cutting edge of Google’s latest software. That probably means not only rocking a Pixel smartphone, but also making sure you’re signed up to participate in the latest Android beta. Navigating all the options for accessing Android betas can be confusing and fast. For now, it appears that Google is only adding to the confusion by sending some beta testers notifications about updates they shouldn’t have received.
Google started the Android 15 hype back in February with the initial release of the first developer preview. By April, regular beta releases began and continued rolling out over the next few months. But over the summer, Google began making the first Android 15 Quarterly Platform Release (QPR) available for beta testing. This was another extended trial after the regular Android 15 beta, and just because I was trying it didn’t mean I needed to test QPR1 as well.
This week, Android 15 finished testing and arrived as an update for Pixel smartphones around the world. Although the regular Android 15 beta ended long ago, QPR testing continues. What happens if the beta software finishes running and you decide you want to go back to the stable channel? Well, this is also a bit more complicated and requires you to wipe your device in the process, leaving behind any data you haven’t backed up. All may be lost. Google explains:
You can opt out [beta] You can revert your program back to the stable public version of Android at any time. Opting out of the program will erase all user data on your device.
Stable versions are made generally available during the beta program release cycle (formal platform releases are followed by quarterly platform releases (QPRs)). If you apply a stable release update for the version you are beta testing, you can opt out without data erasure This is a limited time offer until the next beta update is applied.
Non-QPR Android 15 beta testers should be able to migrate to Android 15 stable without wiping their phones, but this should not yet be the case for Android 15 QPR1 testers. That’s because the stable release isn’t scheduled until December. Anyone using QPR1 and exiting the beta should see an option to clear their data and return to Android 14. After that, you can upgrade to stable version 15 at any time.
What we’re seeing instead is that QPR testers leaving the beta are presented with the same no-wipe options as non-QPR Android 15 beta testers, like in this Reddit thread started by JDS3RD. It means that it is. While this may sound like a positive step to make it easier for testers to migrate to a stable version, it doesn’t really work. Users who have tried to go this route report that the installation fails midway through.
These notifications appear to have been inadvertently targeted at QPR1 testers and not just those using the primary beta of Android 15. We reached out to Google to see if they could share some information about what’s going on here. We’ll also let you know everything we learn.
