Minecraft Bedrock 1.21.80.20 beta and preview patch notes: Locator bar, bug fixes, and more

The Minecraft Bedrock Beta and Preview are finally done with the Spring Drop 2025 update, as the developers have now started working on version 1.21.80. The brand-new 1.21.80.20 Beta and Preview introduces us to the first feature of the second game drop. While the first game drop is yet to be released, the developers have already begun working on the second one.

Minecraft Bedrock 1.21.80.20 brings a new feature called the Locator Bar, which should be useful for those on multiplayer servers as it will show the locations of online players. In multiplayer, you may often struggle to find your friends, making this addition incredibly handy.

However, if you enjoy hiding and sneaking up on them, using an invisibility potion or crouching will remove your location from the locator bar.

Let's go through the patch notes for Minecraft Bedrock 1.21.80.20 Beta and Preview to learn more about the new locator bar, other changes, and bug fixes.

---

Minecraft Bedrock 1.21.80.20 beta and preview patch notes

Experimental features

Locator Bar

The Locator Bar is a new UI element on the Player HUD that displays the direction of other Players in the World.

When the Locator Bar Experiment is enabled and there are multiple players in a world, the Locator Bar will appear on-screen for each player, replacing the Experience Bar. The player level number will still be visible as before above the Locator Bar.

The Locator Bar and player marker on the map (Image via Mojang Studios)

The Locator Bar will display colored indicators when the camera is facing within 120 degrees towards another player. If they are 30 degrees above or below the camera's viewport (the screen), an up or down arrow will be displayed.

Crouching will hide the player, preventing their indicator from appearing on the Locator Bar of others. Those in Spectator Mode will not be visible on the Locator Bar.

Similarly, a Mob Head or a Carved Pumpkin will hide players from the Locator Bar when worn in the head slot. Using a Potion of Invisibility will also hide them from the Locator Bar.

The developer's note states the feature could later be turned on or off by a player:

"When the Locator Bar moves out of experimental, we plan on making it a feature that Players can toggle on and off."

Known issues

• The Locator Bar has the following known issue, so we recommend testing it with a Simulation Distance of 4 chunks.
• If the Simulation Distance is set to greater than 4 chunks, then the Locator Bar may not show players in between 4 chunks and the Simulation Distance.

Features and bug fixes

Blocks

• Sapling "age_bit" no longer regresses after an unsuccessful growth attempt, preventing nearby Observers from activating incorrectly (MCPE-190286).

Gameplay

• Players will no longer pass through Blocks placed around x or z coordinates that are a power of 2. (Example 256, 512, 1024 ...) (MCPE-173843).

Items

• Fixed a bug where most usable items could not be used while targeting a Mob Spawner (MCPE-58999).
• Mangrove Roots can now be used as fuel in Furnaces (MCPE-155605).
• Fixed an issue where adding items to a slot in a Chest while it is being updated by a Hopper might remove the items (MCPE-166390).

Mobs

• Fixed a bug where named Slimes and Magma Cubes lose their names when splitting (MCPE-14975).
• Creakings no longer despawn on world reload (MCPE-190845).
• Parrots can now imitate Phantoms, Zoglins, Guardians, Ravagers, Pillagers, and Blazes (MCPE-164404).
• Wither Skeletons and Zombified Piglins can now walk in lava (MCPE-46806).

Sound

• Fixed an issue where all sound in Windows stops working after 40-41% loading (MCPE-175138).

Stability and performance

• Fixed a bug that occasionally caused an error when creating a Realm on an empty slot.
• Fixed a crash that could sometimes occur when certain foliage textures fail to load.

User interface

• Fixed a bug that could prevent Minecraft from loading the main menu after canceling a server transfer request from another server. (MCPE-189096).
• Potion of Slowness IV (standard, splash, lingering) is no longer separated from other slowness potions in the Creative Menu (MCPE-101923).
• Touch Controls: Updated icons for Dismount and Jump buttons (when mounted) to be clearer and consistent between the touch control schemes (MCPE-184403).
• Suspending/minimizing the game with Screen Animations disabled no longer resets the world seed in the Create New World screen. (MCPE-188975).
• Touch Controls: Spectators can now also customize controls (MCPE-186584) (MCPE-186584).
• Added modal to handle Not Enough Disc Space error in Edit World screen, Resource Packs tab.
• Fixed the "Download all missing packs" button not working under specific conditions.
• Fixed a bug where the bed screen would display the wrong message when sleeping during a thunderstorm (MCPE-190178).
• Stopped the main menu background rotation when entering a new player flow.
• Stopped the main menu background rotation and logo text movement when the "screen animations" option is disabled.

---

Vanilla parity

General

• Add magic crit particles for enchanted weapons to better match the Java edition (MCPE-18704).

Items

• Cut Sandstone Slabs can now be crafted in the Stonecutter using Cut Sandstone (MCPE-42734).
• Cut Red Sandstone Slabs can now be crafted in the Stonecutter using Cut Red Sandstone (MCPE-42734).
• Totem of Undying now gives the same 45-second regeneration as Java (MCPE-90716).
• Shears now consume durability when used on Beehives and Bee Nests with full Honey level (MCPE-63995).

Mobs

• The maximum amount of Raw Rabbits dropped from Rabbits is now increased by 1 for each level of Looting (MCPE-47125).

Structures

Woodland Mansion

• Iron Axe with Efficiency I now always generates in a Chest inside Woodland Mansion's tree-chopping room (MCPE-109048).

---

Aside from these, Minecraft 1.21.80.20 Beta and Preview also includes several technical changes and experimental technical changes. Interested players are encouraged to check the official patch notes to learn more about the latest release's technical details.

With Minecraft Bedrock now beginning development on the second game drop, players can soon expect an announcement for the Spring Drop release date, which will likely be revealed during Minecraft Live 2025.