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How stable is the third Android P beta?
July 13, 2025
It was a few days late, but Google has finally released thefourth Android P developer preview(beta three) for its Pixel phones. This new build is listed on Google’s website as a “release candidate for testing,” meaning it should be more stable than the previous build. But how stable is it? Should you install Android P on your phone, or should you wait until the official Android P release in Q3?
I’ve been using the fourth Android P preview on myPixel 2 XLsince it was released. Here’s my experience so far.
Android P beta bugs, stability, and battery life
The third developer preview, which was released at the beginning of June, was the first developer preview I could recommend to our readers. Unsurprisingly, the latest dev preview is even more stable than that.
I haven’t experienced any app crashes on this developer preview, though multitasking can be a bit laggy at times. I have been getting less than ideal battery life this time around too, with my Pixel 2 XL only getting around 3-3.5 hours of screen-on time on a single charge. That’s not great, but not bad for a developer preview.
NFC is still disabled in this preview, so you won’t be able to useGoogle Payif you install this preview.
Other known issues
Google’s release notes page lists many more bugs associated with this update:
There are many more known issues in this developer preview,which you can find at this link.
When should you give Android P a shot?
We still have one developer preview to go until we see a final Android P release in Q3, but I think this new build is stable enough to try out on your main smartphone. I haven’t run into many issues at all with this beta build, but your mileage may vary.
Battery life might take a hit, and obviously you won’t want to install the beta if you rely on NFC payments. If those things are enough to turn you away, I’d suggest waiting until Q3 to install the official version once it’s released.
Now I want to hear from you. Have you used the third Android P beta yet? If so, how has your experience been so far?
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