Google fixes the vibrating Android 16 bug that was frustrating users

By Georgina Torbet Published April 3, 2025

Android 16 arrived last month, and users have been enjoying new features including live updates from apps like food delivery or ride hailing, audio sharing so you can listen to music with friends over Bluetooth, and support for adjusting screen refresh rates to keep up with newer displays. However, there have been a few annoyances with the new features too, like issues with the haptic feedback. Now, Google is rolling out a new beta version of the OS, Android 16 Beta 3.2, to address these issues.

The fix for haptic feedback is the biggest change in the new release. In Android 16, Google added more options for developers to control the way your phone buzzes when taking certain actions or getting certain notifications. The light vibrations help with navigation and awareness, though these aren’t changes to the Android notification system itself — rather, there are now more options for app developers to make use of fine-grained haptics.

However, there were issues with the new haptic system, with users of some Google Pixel phones in particular complaining that their phones were vibrating too hard. The haptic vibrations were much stronger than previously, particularly when typing. And this didn’t appear to be an intended change, as it only impacted users of certain phone models.

Now with the release of the new beta version of Android, Google says it is “[fixing] an issue that caused haptic feedback to be miscalibrated in some cases.” That will be welcome news to the Pixel users who have been annoyed by this change.

Other updates in the new beta include fixing a battery drain issue and fixing a screen flickering issue when using the camera. If you’re in the Android Beta Program you can download the new version now, but if not then you shouldn’t have to wait too much longer for these small annoyances to be fixed.