Google brings the March security patch to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, finally resolves that annoying Wi-Fi bug
It’s no secret that, despite being some of thebest Android phonesaround right now,Pixel 6andPixel 6 Proowners have had a rough few months. With anasty Wi-Fi bugnow having hung around devices for nearly two months, users have been begging for Google to finally ship the delayed March update, which, along with theAndroid 12L Feature Drop, was meant to patch dozens of issues. With less than two weeks to go until April arrives, Google is, at last, dropping the March patch for Pixel 6 and 6 Pro devices.
Although it’s a little later in the day than usual, this new update is finally rolling out to phones right now. It’s the same one we saw hit other currently-supported Pixels back at the beginning of the month, bringing along a vast lineup of new features along with amassive array of bug fixes. There’s no way to downplay it: it’s a big update for Google phones, and if this delay were the only problem facing the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, it’d be bad enough. But with Wi-Fi reception issues having plagued many users since the beginning of February — including some of the writers here at AP — it’s made that much worse.
Hopefully, this update will be the last delayed patch for Google’s latest flagship phones. February’s build wasn’t the first to face some severe bugs, so if you aren’t experiencing issues with your Wi-Fi performance, it might not be a bad idea to hold off on updating for a couple of days. Unfortunately, with Google’s current track record on these phones, you never know what could be broken behind the scenes.
While this update mostly makes up for lost time, there is some good news for Pixel 6 and 6 Pro owners on Verizon. Based on a tweet from Verizon PR manager George Koroneos (and laterconfirmed by Google), this patch brings along5G C-Band supportfor both phones, marking the first-non Apple or Samsung devices to get added to the list. The carrier had initially included both devices in its initial round-up of C-Band phones, albeit as “Coming soon.”
TheOTAandfactory image filesare up now on Google’s dev site, with updates rolling out to phones as we speak. Meanwhile, April’s patch is just a measly two weeks away. We expect Pixel owners to wait with bated breath to see if it arrives on time for Google’s latest phones.
UPDATE: 2022/03/21 15:42 EST BY WILL SATTELBERG
Update out now
It took a couple of hours longer than usual, but Google has now uploaded the OTA and factory images to its dev site. The update should be rolling out to phones shortly, so go hammer that “Check for update” button.
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