October Android security update available for Google Pixels
Google’s Pixel phones have received the October security update. Google informs us via an overview of all vulnerabilities that have been fixed with the latest security patch.
Security Update October 2021
Yesterday, Google presented the stable update of Android 12, and although all the features were presented, the update is not yet available for Pixel phones as in other years. This time we have to be patient for a few more weeks. What Pixel owners do get is the security update for the month of October, after it was previously rolled out with Samsung devices. The first smartphones to receive the update were the S21 devices.
This month’s accompanying Security Bulletin makes it clear that a total of 17 vulnerabilities in Android have been fixed, and one of them has already been labeled critical. 34 vulnerabilities were related to Qualcomm’s components.
In the Pixel Phone Help community, Google also announces which Pixel phones will receive which build numbers. No further Pixel phone specific bugs are reported here.
- Pixel 3 (XL): RQ3A.211001.001
- Pixel 3a (XL): RQ3A.211001.001
- Pixel 4 (XL): RQ3A.211001.001
- Pixel 4a: RQ3A.211001.001
- Pixel 4a (5G): RQ3A.211001.001
- Pixel 5: RQ3A.211001.001
No Pixel Feature Drops
Unfortunately, there are no new features for the Pixels in this update. The last Pixel Feature Drops were announced in June and we don’t expect to see any new Drops either as the stable version of Android 12 is on the way. New features and improvements for Pixels will probably be announced immediately.
Install update
Do you have a Pixel phone? Then you get the patch via an over-the-air update (OTA). You can also install the update manually and you can read exactly how to do that here. The Factory Images can be found here and the OTA files can be found here.
If you don’t have a Pixel phone, you have to wait until the manufacturer of your phone has rolled out the update. When that will be, then again depends entirely on the update policy of that manufacturer, and you can read more about that in this overview article. Have you received this month’s security update yet? Let us know in the comments below.
