Yesterday, Google released the February 2023 Android security patch for the Pixel lineup. The latest security update contains more than 40 vulnerability fixes. On top of those patches, the new update also brings four additional bug fixes and improvements to Pixel devices.
According to an official release from the company, this month’s security update for the Pixel lineup fixes an accessibility bug that occasionally prevented touch interaction with the Braille keyboard. A similarly occasional issue with Bluetooth causing connection problems with certain devices or accessories has also been fixed. Google patched an Android Framework bug as well. It didn’t allow the Work profile calendar information to update automatically in the background.
Along with these, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro models are getting improved Clear Calling. Google says it has fixed an issue that occasionally caused instability with the feature in certain conditions. All of these bug fixes will reach the Pixel 4a and newer models over the next few days. Perhaps the company notes that it could take weeks for the update to be available for every eligible Pixel smartphone globally depending on carrier and device model.
As usual, you can check for updates from the Security menu in your phone’s Settings app. You may also get a notification once the OTA (over the air) release becomes available for your unit. Watch out for an update with the firmware build number TQ1A.230205.002 (TQ1A.230205.001.D2 for T-Mobile and Google Fi units in the US). The firmware version may also vary depending on your carrier in some other countries. You can visit Google’s official release for more information.
The February security update for Pixel contains more than 40 vulnerability patches
As said earlier, this month’s Android security patch contains more than 40 vulnerability patches, including four critical issues with Qualcomm components. The majority of patches this month were labeled “high-severity” issues by Google, with some allowing remote code execution without needing additional execution privileges. The company also patched three Pixel-specific vulnerabilities affecting the Camera, Bootloader, and other system components.
Apart from the Pixel-specific patches, the rest of this month’s vulnerability fixes will be available to Android devices from other brands as well. In fact, Samsung has already begun the rollout. It released the new security update before Google and has covered a handful of Galaxy devices so far. Over the next few weeks, the Korean firm will cover dozens of Galaxy smartphones and tablets with its February security update. We will keep you posted on those releases.