And the Pixel 3 is left behind
Google has just annonuced the first big update for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. As part of the expected November security patch update, the company is also rolling out several fixes for the currently supported lineup and a handful of changes specifically for these new models. Unfortunately for Pixel 3 owners, that phone has just reached end of life, and though Google tells us a final wrap-up update is planned for next year, it isn’t included in this month’s updates.
It’s been a while since Google released a monthly update that includes functional patches. Our questions regarding that omission over the last few months were ignored by the company, but this month we have 11 changes — more than we usually get.
Highlighted improvements for all currently supported Pixels include a fix for notification sounds, third-party app stability, and broken app icons. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are also getting improved bluetooth audio quality in “certain scenarios,” better wireless charging in “certain orientations,” better automatic brightness, and fixes for both Wi-Fi connection stability and PiP media playback in certain apps.
Unfortunately for Pixel 3 and 3 XL owners, “currently supported Pixels” is now a phrase that doesn’t include them. Google promised updates until October 2021, and here we are. The two phones, released in 2018, are not included in this month’s updates. Google told us previously that they will get a final “sunset” update in early Q1 2022, though. Last year the Pixel 2 and 2 XL had a similar arrangement, where they missed a month but received a last bug-fix update later.
The update hasn’t landed on any of our Pixel 6 units just yet, but OTA images are available for manual installation. This month Verizon and its related MVNOs have their own build, as do some carriers in other countries.
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