Google Rolls Out Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 to Pixel 10 Testers, Excluding Pixel 6

Q: Will Google's new status bar menu eventually let users hide the rumored Android Halo assistant icon?

Probably yes, but it is not confirmed for release yet. Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 already adds a new Status bar settings page that lets users control notification icons and a few system icons such as mute, vibrate, and battery percentage. That shows Google is actively building a more customizable status bar and moving those controls into a user-facing menu. The stronger evidence on Android Halo comes from Android Canary teardowns, which uncovered strings for a specific toggle labeled along the lines of “Show assistant agent in status bar.” Those code findings explicitly suggest Google is testing a setting to let users hide the Android Halo assistant icon. The same teardown also says the option would depend on device support for an “Agent Task” feature, which appears to be required for Halo. What is not clear is timing. The Halo toggle is not part of the live Beta 4 menu as reported so far, and teardown findings do not guarantee shipment. Google has not officially announced a Halo hide switch, and Canary features can change or disappear before public release. So the best read right now is that Beta 4 points in the right direction, and Canary evidence suggests Google intends to offer that control eventually. But until Google adds the toggle to a public beta or stable build, users should treat it as likely, not certain.

3 articles · Updated · Android Authority · Aug 28

Two weeks after Beta 3, Google pushed Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 to Pixel testers under builds CP41.260814.003.A2 and .B1.
Pixel 10 is the newest supported lineup, while Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro remain excluded because they will fall outside Google's support window before the Feature Drop ships.
Pixel 11, which reached retail availability last week, still is not on the QPR2 beta support list.
Google has not published a fresh fix list for Beta 4, though earlier reports said the release adds status bar customization and other feature and bug-fix changes.
The beta continues testing for what is expected to be Android 17's year-end QPR2 update, while Google's September Feature Drop is being finalized separately through QPR1.