The February security patch is here for Google Pixel phones
Samsung hasn’t only launched theGalaxy S23 serieswith a bombastic event this month, it was also first topush out the February security patch to one of its phones— the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, to be exact. As per its regular schedule (the first Monday every month), Google is now following suit. The company has launched the latest security patch for the Pixel phones, while also revealing which loopholes and bugs are fixed for all Android phones this month.
In addition to a Pixel 7-exclusive solution for Clear Calling instability, Google is rolling out fixes for touch issues with Braille keyboards and Work profile calendars failing to update. The company also mentions a fix for Bluetooth connections with “certain devices or accessories,” which could help drivers who have been unable topair their phones to their car’s stereo systemfor the past month. That said, Google’s language here is pretty vague, so make sure to test your connection once you’ve updated. Here’s acomplete changelogfor what’s included in this month’s patch:
Accessibility
The February security patch is rolling out to all currently supported Google phones now, starting with the Pixel 4a and 4a 5G all the way up to the Pixel 7 series and the Pixel 6a. The update is also available on the Pixel 4 and 4 XL, which received their last guaranteed software release in October 2022. As usually, Google is pushing the current patch as one last release to fix lingering bugs and issues before the devices are fully discontinued.
The Pixel 3a and older phones are no longer supported, as they’ve already received three years of OS and security updates. The 3a series received its last update in September 2022. Phones from other manufacturers will receive the update according to their own update cadence. In Samsung’s case, things shouldn’t take too long for the latest phones, but the story might be different for other manufacturers.
On your Pixel phone, installing the security patch is as simple as heading to your phone’s system settings, looking for theSystemoption near the end of the top-level menu, and thenSystem update,where you can start the installation. Google also providesfactory imagesandOTA filesfor those who prefer the manual route.
If you prefer to live on the bleeding edge, you can alsojoin the Android beta program. You’ll then be able to try out a few of the new features that are supposed to come with the March Pixel Feature Drop, which is currently in testing as theAndroid 13 Quarterly Platform Release 2 Beta 3. If history is any indicator, Android 14’s first developer preview could also be just around the corner, though we’ll have to keep waiting for official details.
The article was updated to reflect that the Pixel 4 received the update, too, even though it was only guaranteed to get updates until October 2022.
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