Android 12 April security update rolls out, all Pixel phones included

It’s a new month, so you know what that means. Another Android security update is rolling out, which addresses several high-severity bugs, including a severe vulnerability that could lead to “local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed,” as detailed in the Android Security Bulletin. There are two security patch levels included in the bulletin, one dated 2022-04-01 and one dated 2022-04-05, to give phone manufacturers more flexibility in order to push out a fix quicker.

The security patch level 2022-04-05 fixes issues on Pixel devices, including the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which were part of a delayed update cycle the past couple of months. Below are the bug fixes and improvements that are being addressed on Pixel devices:

For the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro only:

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

Source: Pixel Community Forum

For the Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 5, Pixel 5a (5G), Pixel 6 & Pixel 6 Pro:

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

Source: Pixel Community Forum

If you have a Pixel device running Android 12, you can receive this software update via OTA starting today. To check for the update, go to your device’s Settings app, then navigate to System > System update. It is refreshing to see the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro included in this month’s updates right on time, along with the other Pixel phone models. Hopefully, this means that Google has been able to power through the Tensor SOC growing pains, and this will be the monthly update pattern going forward.