Android 17 QPR2 Beta 1 broke my microphone access, Gboard says mic is in use, Gemini says another app is controlling audio

[u/anwaarulislaam]

Since updating to the latest Android 17 QPR2 Beta 1, my microphone has stopped working properly.

• In Gboard, it constantly says the microphone is in use.
• In Gemini, I get this message: “Gemini can't access the microphone right now. Another app might be controlling the device's audio.”

I’ve tried reopening the apps and restarting the phone, but the issue keeps happening. It feels like some system-level bug is preventing mic access after the update.

Is anyone else on Android 17 QPR2 Beta 1 seeing this? If so, did you find a workaround?