Tech

The last planned Android 14 update for Google Pixels is here

Published

4 months ago

August 6, 2024

Admin

The last planned Android 14 update for Google Pixels is here

Summary

Google’s Android 15 beta timeline ended in July, and rumors suggest the new version may launch in September as planned.
The August 2024 security update for Pixel devices includes bug fixes and improvements for the display, system, and user interface.
Fixes in the update are available for specific Pixel devices to address issues like screen brightness flickering and reboot loop after factory reset.

Google’s beta development timeline for Android 15 only ran through July. The fact that we’ve now made it into August doesn’t mean we’re guaranteed to see the new version — after all, there could always be setbacks — but the beta program has progressed predictably, and the latest rumors say we’ll see Android 15 right on time at the next Quarterly Platform Release slot in September. With new firmware being released today, it appears things are still going according to plan.

Android 15: Leaks, timeline, and what’s new in Beta 4.1

It seems like a stable release is right around the corner

Google announced the Android 14-based August 2024 security update on its Pixel product forums today, noting a build number of AP2A.240805.005 on most devices. The company says this update has already started rolling out to eligible devices, which include the Pixel 5a 5G and every phone Google has released since then.

However, Google notes that the rollout is happening in phases, so depending on your device and carrier, it could take as long as a week before it hits your phone. To see if it’s available, head to Settings → System → Software updates → System update → Check for update.

In addition to security patches, today’s update fixes a number of issues, including a brightness bug that caused Pixel 8 and 8 Pro screens to flicker in some conditions. The bug that was bricking Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a devices when users would factory reset them within 15 minutes of applying an update is also addressed, though we were expecting that since we saw it in last month’s Android 15 Beta 4.1 update.

The Aug 2024 update includes bug fixes and improvements for Pixel users – see below for details.

Fix for issue with screen brightness flickering under certain conditions *[3]
General improvements for display performance and stability in certain conditions *[4]

Fix for issue occasionally causing devices to be in a reboot loop after factory reset in certain conditions *[2]

Fix for stability issues when switching from a user without a screen lock, to a user with a screen lock under certain conditions *[1]

——————————————————————————————————

Fixes are available for all supported Pixel devices unless otherwise indicated below. Some fixes may be carrier/region specific.

*[1] Pixel 5a (5G), Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet

*[2] Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a

*[3] Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8

August 2024 security bulletins published

This update also includes the security fixes outlined in Google’s newly-published August 2024 Security Bulletin for Android. These are divided into two sets of Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) addressed by the patches, with one being dated August 1 and dealing with vulnerabilities in the Android system, and the other being dated August 5 and addressing risks in manufacturer-specific components that aren’t necessarily present in all Pixel phones receiving today’s update.

The first set of patches contains fixes for a total of 14 OS CVEs of high severity, and all of these will be coming to Pixels with today’s update, provided they weren’t already fixed separately. The August 5 patches address issues with 20 Qualcomm components (including one critical-severity bug in CVE-2024-23350), 7 additional closed-source Qualcomm components, and 5 CVEs in the kernel, Arm components, and components made by Imagination Technologies.

While it’s unclear how many of those August 5 patches will be coming to Pixels, Google has published a separate security bulletin just for Pixel-specific patches included in the August 2024 update. This lists a single high-severity CVE in one of Google’s components (CVE-2024-32927) and four moderate-severity CVEs dealing with Qualcomm components that are addressed in the update.