Pixel Updates December 2022: What’s included ?

Pixel updates -December 2022 for Pixel phones included Pixel 4a

Not only is it a day of updates for Google Pixel phones, being the first Monday of the month, it’s also a Pixel Feature Drop day and the release of a major quarterly build. That’s right, if you own a Pixel phone ( like the Pixel 4a up through the new Pixel 7), this December Android update is bigger than a normal monthly security patch.

• Pixel is now rolling out the December 2022 security patch for Pixels.

• The update is available for Pixel 4a and higher devices.

• It includes over 70 bug fixes and improvements across several areas.

We’ve got a full write-up on all that is new in the December Pixel Feature Drop, but the highlights include Spatial Audio support, speaker labels in Recorder, free VPN for Pixel 7, and the new security hub. There are a couple of Pixel Watch goodies too. You can read all about the new features at this post.

As for this being a huge quarterly update, don’t forget that this is the Android 13 QPR1 build that has been in beta for several months. If you joined the QPR1 beta program, you have been testing this for a while. Being a QPR (Quarterly Platform Release), the list of bugs being squashed could be enormous. You can view the full list here.

As of this moment, Google has posted December factory image and OTA 13.0 files for all of the active Pixel phones, including the Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro. Everything here should be on- time, with no delays. If we don’t see an update arrive for a few days, we’ll be sure to let you know. The rollout is scheduled to start “today.”

• Fix for issue causing text input to certain fields in the Phone app to display in a darker color
• Fix for issue occasionally causing playback errors when seeking through video content in certain apps
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing text messages from restoring from cloud backups during device setup
• General improvements for background performance in certain Google apps

• General improvements for USB audio support for various cables or accessories
• General improvements to support various audio codecs with certain devices or accessories

• Battery usage in Settings displays information since last full charge (up to 7 days)
• Fix for issue occasionally causing device to power off while Battery Share is active
• Fix for issue occasionally causing higher battery usage during media playback with certain apps
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing Adaptive charging from working in certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing wireless charging from working with certain accessories
• General improvements for charging, battery usage or thermal performance in certain conditions

• Fix for issue occasionally causing audio to skip when played over certain Bluetooth devices or accessories
• Fix for issue occasionally delaying when the fingerprint icon is displayed on the lock screen
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing fingerprint sensor from detecting touch while always-on display is active
• Fix for issue where fingerprint enrollment may occasionally display visual glitches in certain conditions
• Improvements for face unlock lock screen helper text shown in certain conditions

• Fix for issue causing music playback to continue without audible sound after ending a call while using certain Bluetooth accessories
• Fix for issue occasionally causing audio to skip when played over certain Bluetooth devices or accessories
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing audio switching between connected Bluetooth devices in certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing Bluetooth Low Energy devices from displaying a device name during pairing
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing connection to car head units using older Bluetooth versions
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing discovery of certain Bluetooth devices or accessories
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing previously paired Bluetooth devices from reconnecting
• General improvements for Bluetooth stability and performance in certain conditions

• Fix for issue occasionally causing Camera app to crash while zoomed in or switching modes
• Fix for issue occasionally causing viewfinder preview to display a blank screen
• Fix for issue where video that is recorded while switching between camera modes occasionally shows gaps in playback
• General improvements for camera stability and performance in certain conditions

• Fix for issue occasionally causing screen to flicker when waking from always-on display
• Fix for issue occasionally causing visual artifacts or glitches while using certain apps or games

• Fix for issue occasionally causing notifications to display in a different color theme from the system
• Fix for issue occasionally causing the wrong character to display after a new line in certain apps or UI elements
• Fix for issue occasionally causing Work Profile app notifications to appear even if Work Profile is paused
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing certain apps to rotate to landscape orientation
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing keyboard from being dismissed while using certain apps

• Fix for issue occasionally preventing “tap to wake” or “lift to wake” from working in certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing Adaptive brightness from activating in certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing Quick Tap from triggering app or system shortcuts in certain conditions
• Fix to improve Adaptive brightness transitions during phone calls in certain conditions
• General improvements for proximity sensor performance under certain lighting conditions

• General improvements for system stability and performance in certain conditions
• General improvements to optimize device thermal performance in certain conditions or use cases

• Fix for issue causing reduced network or call stability under certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing network SIM cards from activating in certain conditions
• General improvements for network connection stability and performance in certain conditions
• General improvements for network connectivity after toggling airplane mode off
• General improvements for switching between 3G to 4G on certain carrier networks
• General improvements for VPN connection stability and performance on mobile networks under certain conditions
• General improvements for Wi-Fi calling stability and performance for certain carriers or networks
• Improve dual SIM network connectivity in certain conditions
• Improve RCS messaging stability under certain conditions

• General improvements for touch response and performance in certain conditions

• Change for home screen search bar behavior to open the Google app when tapping the G logo
• Fix for issue occasionally causing “Pause work apps” button display over app drawer or in the wrong position
• Fix for issue occasionally causing certain Settings toggles to appear disabled, or set to the wrong state
• Fix for issue occasionally causing device color theme to change unexpectedly
• Fix for issue occasionally causing home screen app icons to appear duplicated after adjusting grid size
• Fix for issue occasionally causing home screen widgets or icons to appear small or scaled down in certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally causing media player controls to appear invisible or hidden in notification shade
• Fix for issue occasionally causing notification overflow dot to overlay app icons on lock screen
• Fix for issue occasionally causing notifications to disappear or appear invisible in notification shade
• Fix for issue occasionally causing screenshot captures to fail in certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally causing suggested apps in Search to overlap or display over results
• Fix for issue occasionally causing text to appear incorrectly cutoff or truncated at different font sizes
• Fix for issue occasionally causing UI to reset after adjusting display resolution
• Fix for issue occasionally causing wallpaper to appear black or empty in certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally enabling touch interaction during the lock screen transition after screen is turned off
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing media player album art from updating when content changes
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing media player controls from displaying on lock screen
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing screen to appear blank or frozen after launching certain apps
• Fix for issue where incoming notifications would occasionally display over others listed in the notification shade
• Fix to improve responsiveness of At A Glance home and lock screen widget for certain conditions or use cases
• Fix to improve spacing for certain UI modals in device setup and Settings
• General improvements for performance in certain UI transitions and animations

• Fix for issue occasionally preventing hotspot from turning on in certain conditions
• General improvements for Wi-Fi network connection stability & performance in certain conditions

Here are the new builds for your device:

Pixel’s updates Global

Pixel 4a: TQ1A.221205.011
Pixel 4a (5G): TQ1A.221205.011
Pixel 5: TQ1A.221205.011
Pixel 5a (5G): TQ1A.221205.011
Pixel 6: TQ1A.221205.011
Pixel 6 Pro: TQ1A.221205.011
Pixel 6a: TQ1A.221205.011
Pixel 7: TQ1A.221205.011
Pixel 7 Pro: TQ1A.221205.011
Canada
Pixel 4a: TQ1A.221205.011.B1
O2 (UK)
Pixel 6a: TQ1A.221205.012
Pixel 7: TQ1A.221205.012
Pixel 7 Pro: TQ1A.221205.012

Google should begin pushing these updates shortly over-the-air (Settings > System > System update ), but if you don’t want to wait for Google and prefer to update manually, you will find each factory image or OTA file at the links below. For instructions on how to flash a factory image, here you go. For instructions on how to flash an OTA .zip file, here you go.

Links:

Factory Images
OTA Files
Pixel/Nexus Security Bulletin
Pixel Security Update Changes

Pixel’s updates Security patches

Vulnerabilities are grouped under the component that they affect. There is a description of the issue and a table with the CVE, associated references, type of vulnerability, severity, and updated Android Open Source Project (AOSP) versions (where applicable). When available, we link the public change that addressed the issue to the bug ID, like the AOSP change list. When multiple changes relate to a single bug, additional references are linked to numbers following the bug ID.

Stay Tuned..