In a surprising turn of events, Google has launched a new update for its Google Pixel 4a, and Google Pixel 5. For the uninitiated, both of these devices launched in September 2020 and crossed their 3-year updates in 2023. Now, in an unlikely move, Google has introduced a surprise update for these two Pixel smartphones. What is this update and how can you get it for your Pixel devices? Read along to know it all.
First things first, let me tell you that this isn’t a very size-heavy update. On the official download page, these are mentioned as the Pixel 4a 5G (codenamed “Bramble”) and Pixel 5 (codenamed “Redfin”). For both Pixel smartphones, you get the package version 14.0.0 (UP1A.231105.001.B2, Feb 2024).
Also read: Google Pixel 8 review: Too many tricks, too little refinement
The update is expected to be under just 10.31MB in size. Looking at the size, we cannot expect a big security fix or something. It is probably just a critical bug fix. How do I say this? It’s because those who have gotten this update still have the November 2023 Android Security Patch Level.
You can either wait for the OTA updates to come out or you can directly get the updates using these links:
Before you manually download the updates, make sure the OTA is available on your device. To do this, go to Settings > About phone > System updates on your Pixel smartphone.
Also read: Google Pixel 8 series to have ‘Circle to Search’ and 3 more features
It’s surprising that these old smartphones are still receiving updates. The Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 launched in 2020 with a promised 3 years of security updates. According to my maths, the three years are over but they still received a small update. This might be aimed at fixing bugs, considering the historical challenges Pixel smartphones faced with bugs.
