Google Pixel, Pixel XL will get their final software update in Dec

The original Google Pixel phones have reached end of life, technically speaking. This is because Google launched the Pixel and Pixel XL in 2016 with a promise to offer two years of major Android updates and three years of security updates. Which is possibly why, the Pixel and Pixel XL didn’t receive the latest November 2019 security update much like their more recent siblings.  

Having said that, Google surprised everyone when it rolled out Android 10 for the Pixel and Pixel XL, and it looks like it’s prepping to surprise everyone again by letting them get a final software – security - update in December. The Pixel and Pixel XL may not have received the November 2019 security update, but Google will apparently “encapsulate a variety of updates,” in the upcoming December patch – and that update will be available for the Pixel and Pixel XL phones.  

Guess, that’s the sort of ‘preferential’ treatment you get when you invest in an official Google phone – even as many rivals have difficulty in rolling out timely updates, updates that were/are promised to end-users at the time of buying their products. It’s good to see Google sticking to its reputation, at least. 

Google is now rolling out the November 2019 security update for its Pixel devices – all Pixel phones minus the first-generation – that brings, among other things, smooth display improvements to the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. We do not know exactly what these improvements are, but owners of the Pixel 4 will be hoping it would allow them to run their phones at 90Hz refresh rate more often than what Google would let them out of the box. Users are reporting that while the update allows owners of the Pixel 4 XL to enjoy 90Hz at all brightness levels now, for the Pixel 4, there’s still a capping involved – which is said to be 42 per cent. 

Google is rolling out the update to older Pixel phones as well. These include the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The first-generation Pixel and Pixel XL will not be getting it though. 

Also Read:  Google Pixel 4 Smooth Display Improvements Coming With November Update