Google finally adds the Pixel 6 family to the Android Beta Program

One of the beautiful things about owning a Google-made smartphone is the fact that you generally get features first and have early access to pre-release software. One such vessel for such software is the Android Beta Program. To try it out, you simply need an eligible Android Phone connected to your Google account. What’s it for? Well, to put it in Google’s own words,

Android Beta for Pixel offers you a simple way to try pre-release versions of Android, and test drive our new features. The feedback you provide will help us identify and fix issues, and make the platform even better. Enrolled devices will automatically receive updates for the latest beta version of Android.

Android Beta Website

While there are other OEM devices that can try out the Android Beta Program, having a Pixel or before the Pixel, a Nexus usually meant that you could install the Android preview well before anyone else got their hands on it. However, that wasn’t the case for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Until now, the Android Beta Program only extended up to the Pixel 5 and Pixel 5a. Considering the bugs that Google has had to squoosh with its new Tensor-powered flagship, that may not necessarily be a bad thing but it’s still something that many Pixel owners have come to expect.

In what may or may not be a coincidence, Google has just released the last iteration of the tablet-focused 12L Beta and in the process, has added the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to the Android Beta Program. 12L leans heavily into the Android tablet experience but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t some fun new stuff for smartphone users. Abner Li of 9to5Google has a great breakdown of what’s new in the latest update of Android 12L Beta.

Anyway, if you’re the proud owner of a Google Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro and you’d like to give the Beta Program a try, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3. Just head over to the Android Beta Program website here. Any eligible devices on your account will show up on this page. Find your Pixel 6 or another device you want to use and click the “opt-in” button on that device.

Once you’ve opted in, your device will download an OTA update. It may take a little time but you can check for the update by heading to Settings>System>Advanced Settings>System Updates. Keep in mind, this is Beta software. It can and likely will contain some bugs but this is the final version of 12L Beta so it should be very stable. If you have more than one device, you may want to keep your primary smartphone on the official Android release.

Note: If you have a phone that you bought from your carrier and it isn’t paid off, you probably won’t be able to enroll in the Beta program. That’s because most cellular providers “carrier lock” devices that aren’t paid off. Sorry.