Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro update cycle has been different from all the previous Pixel phones. Usually, Google updates its Pixel lineup regularly without any hassles, but that is not the case with the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. We have seen delayed updates, pulled patches, and buggy stable versions.
It has been hard to keep track of every minor update pushed out by Google, but we will try to give you an insight into everything that has happened with the devices so far since March. In this article, we will keep track of all the software updates coming to the Google Pixel 6. So without any further ado, let’s get into it.
Google Pixel 6 Firmware | Software Update Tracker
| Build(Region) |
Changelog |
| 13.0.0 (TQ2A.230405.003.E1, Apr 2023) |
What’s included
The April 2023 update includes bug fixes and improvements for Pixel users – see below for details.
Bluetooth
- Fix for issue occasionally causing connected Bluetooth devices or accessories to silently unpair
Camera
- Autofocus improvements while using Macro Focus in certain situations *[1]
System
- Fix for issue occasionally causing instability while using certain USB devices or accessories *[2]
|
| 13.0.0 (TQ2A.230305.008.E1, Mar 2023)
Download Link |
What’s included
In addition to new features, the March 2023 software update for Pixel devices includes several fixes and improvements across several areas, including device stability, connectivity, performance and more – see below for some notable improvements.
Apps
- Fix for issue causing Live Translate feature to prompt for translation too frequently in certain apps *[1]
- Fix for issue occasionally keeping display on while certain app activities are active
- Fix for issue occasionally preventing screenshots from being captured in certain apps
- Fix for issue occasionally preventing Wallpaper & style settings to open
Battery & Charging
- Fix for issue occasionally causing app-specific battery restriction settings to be reset after a software update
- Fix for issue occasionally preventing Battery Share from charging certain devices or accessories *[2]
- General improvements for charging, battery usage or performance in certain conditions *[1]
- General improvements for wireless charging stability or performance in certain conditions *[2]
Biometrics
- Additional improvements for fingerprint recognition and response in certain conditions *[1]
Bluetooth
- Fix for issue occasionally preventing Android Auto to connect wirelessly with certain vehicle head units
- Improvements for connection stability with certain Bluetooth LE headsets or accessories
Camera
- General improvements for camera stability and performance in certain conditions *[1]
- Improvements for color accuracy or exposure level while using the front camera in certain conditions *[3]
Display & Graphics
- Fix for issue occasionally causing display flicker or artifacts in certain apps or conditions *[1]
- Fix for issue occasionally causing instability or playback errors with certain media apps or content *[1]
- Fix for issue occasionally causing video preview to flicker in certain apps *[1]
Framework
- Fix for issue occasionally preventing keyboard from displaying in certain apps or conditions
Sensors
- Additional tuning for haptics intensity and response in certain conditions *[4]
- General improvements for adaptive brightness response in certain conditions
System
- Fix for issue preventing device bootloader from being unlocked in certain conditions *[4]
- Fix for issue preventing device from booting to Android in certain conditions *[4]
- General improvements for system stability and performance in certain conditions
- Kernel updates to 4.14.295 *[5], 4.19.261 *[6], 5.10.149 *[1]
Telephony
- General improvements for network connection stability and performance in certain conditions
Touch
- General improvements for touch response and performance in certain conditions *[3]
User Interface
- Fix for issue causing certain on-device search results to launch apps in work profile
- Fix for issue causing certain text entries in Battery Usage settings to overlap each other while scrolling
- Fix for issue causing home screen UI to appear blurred in certain conditions
- Fix for issue causing lag or delay with switching between apps while third-party launcher apps are in use
- Fix for issue occasionally causing inner launcher icons to appear clipped after closing a folder
- Fix for issue occasionally causing input text to overlap inside search bar
- Fix for issue occasionally causing media player notification to appear cut off or trimmed
- Fix for issue occasionally causing navigation UI to display over Assistant interface
- Fix for issue occasionally causing notification drawer to appear empty or blank
- Fix for issue occasionally causing Overview screen panels to display over home screen
- Fix for issue occasionally causing Quick Settings tiles to be activated while menu is not pulled down
- Fix for issue occasionally causing screen unlock to overlap with notifications, home screen or other UI elements
- Fix for issue occasionally causing silent mode icon to appear hidden or missing from status bar
- Fix for issue occasionally preventing app icon size to scale correctly when changing display size
- Fix for issue occasionally preventing screenshot sharing or editing to work when tapping overlay buttons
- Fix for issue preventing haptic feedback when interacting with notification drawer in certain conditions
- General improvements for performance in certain UI transitions and animations
- Improvements for home screen icon behavior when switching between different grid sizes
- Improvements for status bar layout and response in certain device orientations
Wi-Fi
- General improvements for Wi-Fi network connection stability & performance in certain conditions
- Improvements for connection stability with certain Wi-Fi 6E-capable routers or networks *[1]
|
| SP2A.220405.004(Global)
Download Link |
What’s included
- The April 2022 update includes bug fixes and improvements for Pixel users – see below for details.Battery & Power
- Additional improvements for wireless charging performance with certain accessories *[2].Camera
- Fix for issue causing front-facing camera preview in certain apps to appear zoomed in *[2].
- Fix for issue occasionally causing green screen to appear in camera preview *[2].User Interface
- Fix for crash in System UI while using apps in Picture-in-Picture (PIP) mode in certain conditions *[1].
- Fix for issue causing error message to display when setting up certain live wallpapers *[1].
- Fix for issue causing notification shade and Quick Settings to appear invisible after changing wallpaper in certain conditions *[1].
- Fix for issue occasionally causing animation to display incorrectly when canceling a search in the app drawer *[1].
- Fix for issue occasionally preventing navigation in overview screen while TalkBack is active *[1].
- Fix for issue occasionally preventing recents button to show the overview while using 3-button navigation with third party launchers *[1].
|
| SP2A.220305.013.A3(Global)
Download Link |
New Features:
More ways to communicate with captions.Live Caption is expanding to support people who cannot or prefer not to speak on phone calls to communicate on the Pixel 6. Now you can see captions of what the other person says and type back a response that will be read aloud.Night Sight in Snapchat.Night Sight lets you take amazing photos in low light. Now that same technology is available right in the Snapchat app. Just select low light mode, and you’ll never miss a moment, even in the dark.Know thy battery power.Pixel’s new battery widget shows you the battery level of your Pixel and other Bluetooth-connected devices like Pixel Buds. So you’ll never be caught by surprise by a low battery.Make your messages more fun.Custom text stickers let you turn your text into something more expressive and personalized. Just tap an emoji, and your Pixel will show you options for turning your words into fun illustrated stickers.Do more from your lock screen.At a Glance shows you useful info like the battery levels of your connected devices and safety check countdowns on your lock and home screens – so you can keep track of what’s happening with just, well, a glance—all without having to unlock your phone.More languages. More ways to translate.With Live Translate on Pixel 6, you can communicate in different languages. Pixel can now translate your face-to-face conversations into Spanish, Italian, and French – all on your phone. Just say, “Hey Google, be my interpreter.” With Live Caption, your Pixel can now identify Spanish on YouTube and other media and translate it automatically.Calling a business just got easier.Pixel helps you save time when you call a business. It shows you the best times to call to avoid long waits. You can also see and tap the company’s menu options to get to the right place with less hassle.Transcribe in more languages.
Recorder lets you instantly transcribe audio into text so you can search, edit, and share your recordings. It’s fast, easy, and now available in Spanish and Italian on Pixel 6.
New cultural wallpapers.
Keep your Pixel screens culturally relevant with the latest Curated Culture wallpaper collection. This newest installment celebrates International Women’s Day with three new wallpapers created by artist Manjit Thapp. She is an illustrator based in the UK whose work revolves around female characters. She combines digital and traditional media, layering patterns and textures to create her illustrations. Her work is inspired by bold colors, everyday feelings, nature, and fashion.
Fixes and Improvements:
Audio
- Fixes & improvements for audio playback issues in certain apps.
Battery & Power
- Fix for issue causing inadvertent “Unplug Charger” notification to appear while charging in certain conditions.
- General improvements for battery & thermal performance in certain conditions.
- General improvements for wireless charging in certain conditions.
Biometrics
- General improvements for face unlock stability & performance.
- General improvements for fingerprint sensor stability & performance.
Bluetooth
- Fix for issue causing Bluetooth to turn on after disabling in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing occasional audio glitches during playback with certain Bluetooth devices.
- Fix for issue preventing Bluetooth to be enabled in certain conditions.
- General improvements for Bluetooth stability & performance.
Camera
- Fix for issue causing frame drop during video capture in certain modes and conditions.
- General image quality improvements in camera preview/capture.
- General improvements for camera stability & performance.
Display & Graphics
- Fix for issue causing display refresh rate to lock at 60Hz under certain conditions.
- Fix for issue occasionally causing a green flicker to appear in certain media apps when playing HDR content.
- Fix for occasional screen flicker in notification shade when dragging from the top of the screen.
- Fix for occasional white screen flash after display goes to sleep.
- General improvements for Adaptive brightness response in certain conditions.
Framework
- Fix for issue causing persistent new device setup prompt to appear in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing screensaver to turn on while toggled off.
- General improvements for keyboard responsiveness & performance.
Media
- Fix for issue causing DRM-enabled media to play at lower resolutions in certain apps.
Sensors
- Fix for issue causing Active Edge to take a screenshot instead of opening Assistant in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing the device to occasionally continue vibrating after accepting or dismissing a call.
- Fix for issue preventing auto-rotate to detect device orientation in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing weaker haptic feedback in certain conditions.
- General improvements for Lift-to-wake response & performance.
- General improvements for Quick Tap response & performance.
- General improvements for sensor stability & response in certain conditions.
System
- Fix for issue causing inadvertent “device corrupt” error to appear in certain conditions.
- Fix for issues occasionally preventing OTA updates to install.
- General improvements for memory efficiency & performance.
- General improvements for system stability & performance.
- Kernel update to 5.10.66 for Pixel 6.
Telephony
- Fix for issue causing device to reboot repeatedly after transferring SIM.
- Fix for issue causing network data icon to disappear after sending an MMS message in certain conditions.
- General improvements for network connection stability & performance.
Touch
- General improvements for fingerprint sensor stability & performance.
User Interface
- Add a shortcut to open the Calendar app from At A Glance on the home screen.
- Fix for issue causing the “Add a language” list to overlap with title text in Settings.
- Fix for issues causing the bottom layer of system navigation to disappear in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing Bubbles info overlay to appear misaligned over apps under certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing certain home screen content to display under lock screen when animation duration is customized.
- Fix for issue causing certain home screen icons to appear misaligned in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing certain widgets to render incorrectly on the home screen after setting up the device from a backup.
- Fix for issue causing a delay before available networks appear in Internet Tile under certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing error while adding widgets to the home screen after downgrading apps.
- Fix for issue causing fingerprint to unlock icon to appear invisible on lock screen in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing fingerprint to unlock to appear disabled while Smart Lock is enabled under certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing incoming notifications to occasionally render over Quick Settings while notification shade is expanded.
- Fix for issue causing incorrect colors or theme to display in Quick Settings in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing longer load times for UI after unlocking in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing notification shade to collapse after unlocking the device when replying to a notification from the lock screen.
- Fix for issue causing notifications to display as invisible on the lock screen under certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing occasional animation stutter while using Overview in landscape mode.
- Fix for issue causing occasional flicker on the lock screen when tapping to expand notifications.
- Fix for issue causing Picture-in-Picture (PIP) controls to display misaligned from the window in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing Picture-in-Picture (PIP) windows to dismiss when flinging across the screen under certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing Quick Settings overlay to stay on the screen in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing recent apps to not display in Overview under certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing the end of the “All Apps” list in Settings to cut off if certain apps are disabled.
- Fix for issue causing wallpaper to appear blurred after locking the screen with the app drawer open.
- Fix for issue enabling Quick Settings toggles to be tapped from the home screen in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue occasionally causing app splash screens to flash on screen without a transition.
- Fix for issue occasionally causing battery charge level to incorrectly display on Ambient display (AOD).
- Fix for issue occasionally causing blank background on the home screen after setting wallpaper.
- Fix for issue occasionally causing device wallpaper to flash before resuming the app after unlocking the device.
- Fix for issues occasionally causing gaps between app icons to appear in the app drawer.
- Fix for issue occasionally causing icons and text in the connected devices Settings page to appear misaligned.
- Fix for issue occasionally causing prompt to disable mobile network to appear when scrolling in the Network settings screen.
- Fix for issues occasionally causing silent notifications to appear under alerting section in the notification shade.
- Fix for issue occasionally causing the launcher to crash when entering overview in 3-button navigation mode.
- Fix for issue occasionally causing the notification shade to appear transparent in the launcher.
- Fix for issue occasionally causing volume slider overlay to jump to the edge of the screen before disappearing.
- Fix for issue occasionally causing widgets with dynamic theming to display using a different color palette after waking the device.
- Fix for issue occasionally preventing weather information to display in At A Glance widget on the home screen.
- Fix for issue preventing conversation bubble to be dismissed in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue preventing double-tap to wake from being disabled under certain conditions.
- Fix for issue preventing mirroring device screen to cast display under certain conditions.
- General improvements for performance in certain UI transitions and animations.
- General improvements for split-screen support with certain third-party launchers.
Wi-Fi
- Fix for issue causing Wi-Fi network connection to drop unexpectedly under certain conditions.
- General improvements for Wi-Fi stability & performance.
|
| SP2A.220405.004 (Global)
Download Link |
Fixes and Improvements:
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 the green screen to appear in camera preview.
User Interface
- Fix for crashes in System UI while using apps in Picture-in-Picture (PIP) mode in certain conditions.
- Fix for issue causing an 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 the 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 the recent button to show the overview while using 3-button navigation with third-party launchers.
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How to update manually?
If you wish to update a Pixel 6 using the OTA image links provided above, you need the latest adb tool. You can get the adb tool from the Android SDK Platform-Tools package, and you can download this package from here.
You also need to enable USB debugging on your device. Go to Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging. And for your computer, add adb to your PATH environment variable or change into the directory containing the executable.
Now let’s move to the process.
- Download the image file of your choice using one of the links above. It will download a .zip file.
- Connect your phone to the PC.
- Then open the folder where you downloaded the OTA update .zip file and open a command window inside the folder. Press the Shift key + Right-click on any empty white space inside the folder and select “Open command window here.”
- Now execute the command “adb reboot recovery” in the cmd window. The device will go into recovery mode, and an Android logo with a red exclamation mark should appear on the screen.
- Hold the power button and press Volume Up once to access the recovery menu. The recovery text will show up.
- Select the option “Apply update from ADB.”
- Run the “adb devices” command and ensure that your device shows up on the screen with sideload written next to it.
- Now run the command “adb sideload ota_file_name.zip,” where you need to replace ota_file_name.zip with the file name of your OTA file.
- Once the update is complete, select Reboot system now, it will restart your phone, and the update will be completed.
If you have any questions or queries about this article, comment below, and we will get back to you. Also, check out our other articles on iPhone tips and tricks, Android tips and tricks, PC tips and tricks, and much more for more helpful information.
