Newsletter 
Summary: The Pixel 9a is finally on sale, but it ships without the latest Android 15 feature drop. This means buyers will have to wait until Android 16 arrives in June to get new features like the Modes menu. While the delay might frustrate some, the Pixel 9a still offers solid value for its price, as long as you don’t mind waiting a couple of months.
The Pixel 9a is finally on sale, but there’s a small catch. Google’s latest $500 budget phone arrives with older software out of the box. This means that Pixel 9a buyers will have to wait a bit before they get features from the Android 15 feature drop.
No Android 15 feature drop
Earlier this week, the folks at Android Police were poking around their Pixel 9a review unit. They discovered something was missing, namely the new Modes menu. This is a new Android 15 feature, but the Pixel 9a oddly lacks it. The report notes that it still shows up in Settings if you search for it. However, when you open the page, it’s just a blank screen with a short description. It sounds and looks like a bug, but it turns out it was intentional.
Google confirmed to Android Police in a statement that says: “Pixel 9a will receive the Modes feature with the next Pixel Drop. This goes for any March QPR platform dependent features until the next quarterly release. Pixel 9a ships with the April MPR, which is based on the Android December QPR release. We decided that the Android December QPR build would be the most stable build to perform testing and ensure quality for carrier lab testing, and to receive the needed carrier approvals.”
So, in other words, the Pixel 9a only comes with April’s security patch. That’s great for security purposes, but in terms of features, Google’s latest phone is still running a December build of Android 15. That means newer features like the Modes menu won’t arrive until Google’s next big update.
Have to wait until Android 16
And when’s the next big update? According to Google, that’s going to be Android 16. The good news is that Google has moved up the release of major Android updates. So, instead of having to wait until the later part of the year, users can expect to see it around June.
This is earlier than usual, which Google’s Sameer Samat confirmed in an interview at MWC earlier this year. That being said, while two months isn’t exactly a long wait, it’s frustrating. While other Pixel models are already enjoying the latest features, Google’s latest Pixel isn’t.
We doubt that the lack of the Android 15 feature drop is a deal-breaker for most Pixel 9a users. After all, customers are still getting an excellent Android smartphone at a price lower than the flagship Pixel 9. Sure, you’ll miss out on some features like satellite SOS or upgrades to Pixel Screenshots.
However, unless you absolutely need those features, waiting an extra couple of months will not kill you.