Google is currently rolling out the May security update to a whole range of Pixel smartphones. It concerns the models: Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, Pixel 4XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
Google May Security Update
Like every first Monday of the month, Google releases a security update for its Pixel phones that addresses various vulnerabilities in Android. Each month, Google also shares a list of all vulnerabilities that have been fixed, with an assessment of the severity of each vulnerability. This time, 19 bugs have been fixed in Android, none of which are considered critical. Another 19 errors are related to Qualcomm and MediaTek chips.
In the accompanying Security Bulletin you will be able to read more about it in May. Google always shares its too custom security bulletin for Pixel phones, so you can also see which vulnerabilities have been fixed specifically in the software of Google phones. Google has fixed 11 vulnerabilities on Pixel devices and two of them were critical.
Install update
Do you have any of the Pixel phones listed above? Then you will receive the update over-the-air (OTA) in the foreseeable future, ie it will appear in your notifications. You can also install the update manually and you can read exactly how to do that here. You can find the Factory Images here and the OTA files you can here find. If you don’t have a Pixel phone, you have to wait until the manufacturer of your phone has rolled out the update.
- What are security updates and will my phone get them?
Are security updates important?
The Google Pixel 3a is three years old this month and has probably gotten its last regular security patch with the May update. This means that Google will only fix the most critical vulnerabilities on the phone and no longer on a regular basis.
Without security updates, the Pixel 3a will continue to work, but as with any phone that is no longer supported, there is a security risk. In the future, malicious people can abuse vulnerabilities on the phone, which are fixed in other devices. In other words, if you click on a malicious link or download a malware app, you are more likely to suffer consequences. This can vary from the leakage of personal data to the loss of money with your banking apps.
Have you received this month’s security update yet? Let us know in the comments below.
Thanks for the screenshot, Ad!
– Thanks for information from Androidworld. Source