Security updates should not be overlooked: they combine important issues with your technology that could compromise your privacy, security and data. So, when a company like Google drops a new security update for a device like your Pixel, take that into consideration and install the update as soon as possible.
On Monday, April 4, Google released the April Security update for Pixel devices. This new update covers most of the pixel array, including Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6 and Pixel. 6 Pro (as well as any XL variants). Unfortunately, you do not see the update in Pixel 1, 2 or 3.
There are a total of 44 security links, 14 of which are dated April 1, 2022, and the other 30 are dated April 4, 2022. Nine of those vulnerabilities were rated “significant” and the other “high”. All major security vulnerabilities are related to Qualcomm components or Qualcomm closed source components.
However, the severity of the vulnerabilities estimated to be “excessive” cannot be ruled out. According to Google, these nasty flaws can allow bad actors to increase local privileges on your computer or lead to the disclosure of remote information that you do not need to click on anything you first fished (or fishy). Overall, this update incorporates a number of vulnerable security vulnerabilities and should be installed as soon as possible.
April security updates bug fixes
While security links are the main reason for you to install this new update as soon as possible, they will not only benefit your pixel. This update comes with bug fixes and will be useful for you.
Pixel 6 and 6 Pro users may find three bug fixes related to wireless charging and camera issues exclusively for their devices:
Battery & Power
- Additional improvements for wireless charging performance with certain accessories.
Camera
- Fix for issue causing front-facing camera preview in certain apps to appear zoomed in.
- Fix for issue occasionally causing green screen to appear in camera preview.
Users with a Pixel 3a and newer will see the follow user interface updates hit their device:
User Interface
- Fix for crash in System UI while using apps in Picture-in-Picture (PIP) mode in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing error message to display when setting up certain live wallpapers.
- Fix for issue causing notification shade and Quick Settings to appear invisible after changing wallpaper in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue occasionally causing animation to display incorrectly when canceling a search in the app drawer.
- Fix for issue occasionally preventing navigation in overview screen while TalkBack is active.
- Fix for issue occasionally preventing recents button to show the overview while using 3-button navigation with third party launchers.
How to update your Pixel to the latest security version
Updating your pixel is easy. Open the Settings app, go to Security, and check for the latest update. If you get the April Security update, you will see it as the following configuration, depending on your device:
Pixel 3a (XL): SP2A.220405.003
Pixel 4 (XL): SP2A.220405.003
Pixel 4a: SP2A.220405.003
Pixel 4a (5G): SP2A.220405.003
Pixel 5: SP2A.220405.003
Pixel 5a (5G): SP2A.220405.003
Pixel 6: SP2A.220405.004
Pixel 6 Pro: SP2A.220405.004
Google is releasing an update yet, so you may not see it on your device yet. If you want to install it manually, you can find the factory image and OTA download for your device at the bottom of this 9to5Google page.
