Google kicks off December 2022 security update for Pixel phones

It is the first Monday of the month, so, the new Pixel incremental upgrade is out! Google has just released the new December 2022 security update for Pixel phones. This month’s release is rolling with a flurry of new features and changes. Whether you own the Pixel 4a from 2020 or the recently announced Pixel 7 series phone, you can upgrade it to the December update.

Google releases the new Pixel update with general improvements for charging, battery usage, and thermal performance in certain conditions, bringing improvements to the background performance for certain Google apps, improved USB audio support for various accessories and cables, improvements for the face unlock lock screen helper, Bluetooth stability improvements, camera stability improvements, improvements to RCS messaging, dual SIM network connectivity, and more.

Talking about the fixes, then this month’s release addresses occasional delays when the fingerprint icon is showing on the lock screen, fixes the higher battery usage during media playback with certain apps, brings improvements to charging and battery usage, and other battery and charging issues. Apart from these issues, the update fixes the camera crashing issue while zoomed in or switching between different modes and many more, here’s the complete list of fixes coming to the Pixel phones.

Google Pixel December 2022 update – What’s New

  • Apps
    • Fix for issue causing text input to certain fields in the Phone app to display in a darker color
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing playback errors when seeking through video content in certain apps
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing text messages from restoring from cloud backups during device setup
    • General improvements for background performance in certain Google apps
  • Audio
    • General improvements for USB audio support for various cables or accessories [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • General improvements to support various audio codecs with certain devices or accessories [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
  • Battery & Charging
    • Battery usage in Settings displays information since last full charge (up to 7 days) 
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing device to power off while Battery Share is active [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing higher battery usage during media playback with certain apps [Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing Adaptive charging from working in certain conditions [Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing wireless charging from working with certain accessories [Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • General improvements for charging, battery usage or thermal performance in certain conditions [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
  • Biometrics
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing audio to skip when played over certain Bluetooth devices or accessories [Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • Fix for issue occasionally delaying when the fingerprint icon is displayed on the lock screen [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing fingerprint sensor from detecting touch while always-on display is active [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a]
    • Fix for issue where fingerprint enrollment may occasionally display visual glitches in certain conditions [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • Improvements for face unlock lock screen helper text shown in certain conditions [Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
  • Bluetooth
    • Fix for issue causing music playback to continue without audible sound after ending a call while using certain Bluetooth accessories *[Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing audio to skip when played over certain Bluetooth devices or accessories [Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing audio switching between connected Bluetooth devices in certain conditions
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing Bluetooth Low Energy devices from displaying a device name during pairing
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing connection to car head units using older Bluetooth versions
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing discovery of certain Bluetooth devices or accessories 
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing previously paired Bluetooth devices from reconnecting
    • General improvements for Bluetooth stability and performance in certain conditions
  • Camera
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing Camera app to crash while zoomed in or switching modes [Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing viewfinder preview to display a blank screen [Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • Fix for issue where video that is recorded while switching between camera modes occasionally shows gaps in playback [Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • General improvements for camera stability and performance in certain conditions
  • Display & Graphics
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing screen to flicker when waking from always-on display 
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing visual artifacts or glitches while using certain apps or games [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a]
  • Framework
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing notifications to display in a different color theme from the system
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing the wrong character to display after a new line in certain apps or UI elements
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing Work Profile app notifications to appear even if Work Profile is paused
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing certain apps to rotate to landscape orientation
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing keyboard from being dismissed while using certain apps
  • Sensors
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing “tap to wake” or “lift to wake” from working in certain conditions [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing Adaptive brightness from activating in certain conditions
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing Quick Tap from triggering app or system shortcuts in certain conditions
    • Fix to improve Adaptive brightness transitions during phone calls in certain conditions [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • General improvements for proximity sensor performance under certain lighting conditions [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
  • System
    • General improvements for system stability and performance in certain conditions
    • General improvements to optimize device thermal performance in certain conditions or use cases [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
  • Telephony
    • Fix for issue causing reduced network or call stability under certain conditions [Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing network SIM cards from activating in certain conditions [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a]
    • General improvements for network connection stability and performance in certain conditions
    • General improvements for network connectivity after toggling airplane mode off
    • General improvements for switching between 3G to 4G on certain carrier networks
    • General improvements for VPN connection stability and performance on mobile networks under certain conditions
    • General improvements for Wi-Fi calling stability and performance for certain carriers or networks
    • Improve dual SIM network connectivity in certain conditions [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a]
    • Improve RCS messaging stability under certain conditions [Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
  • Touch
    • General improvements for touch response and performance in certain conditions [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
  • User Interface
    • Change for home screen search bar behavior to open the Google app when tapping the G logo
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing “Pause work apps” button display over app drawer or in the wrong position
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing certain Settings toggles to appear disabled, or set to the wrong state
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing device color theme to change unexpectedly
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing home screen app icons to appear duplicated after adjusting grid size
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing home screen widgets or icons to appear small or scaled down in certain conditions
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing media player controls to appear invisible or hidden in notification shade
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing notification overflow dot to overlay app icons on lock screen
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing notifications to disappear or appear invisible in notification shade
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing screenshot captures to fail in certain conditions
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing suggested apps in Search to overlap or display over results
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing text to appear incorrectly cutoff or truncated at different font sizes
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing UI to reset after adjusting display resolution
    • Fix for issue occasionally causing wallpaper to appear black or empty in certain conditions
    • Fix for issue occasionally enabling touch interaction during the lock screen transition after screen is turned off
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing media player album art from updating when content changes
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing media player controls from displaying on lock screen
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing screen to appear blank or frozen after launching certain apps
    • Fix for issue where incoming notifications would occasionally display over others listed in the notification shade
    • Fix to improve responsiveness of At A Glance home and lock screen widget for certain conditions or use cases
    • Fix to improve spacing for certain UI modals in device setup and Settings
    • General improvements for performance in certain UI transitions and animations
  • Wi-Fi
    • Fix for issue occasionally preventing hotspot from turning on in certain conditions [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]
    • General improvements for Wi-Fi network connection stability & performance in certain conditions [Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro]

This month’s incremental upgrade weighs more compared to the previous monthly updates, weighing around 500MB in size. Google officially confirmed the rollout and shared the details on the Pixel support page. And as for the details, the new build is tagged with the TQ1A.221205.011 version number for Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, Pixel 5, 5a 5G, Pixel 6, 6a, 6 Pro, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro.

If you own the Pixel 4a and live in Canada then this build is rolling with a TQ1A.221205.011.B1 version number. And for O2 cellular in the UK, the upgrade is tagged with the TQ1A.221205.012 build number for Pixel 6a, 7, and 7 Pro.

If you own a Pixel 4a or newer model, then you can update your phone to the newer version. The update is rolling in a staged manner, you will receive the December 2022 update OTA notification once available on your device, you can tap on it and download the update or simply head over to the Settings > System > Advanced > System update and install the new software.

Additionally, you can manually install the December 2022 update on your Google Pixel phone by sideloading the update. The factory images and OTA files of the September update are already available. But make sure to take a backup before sideloading the new software.

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Haneet Singh

Haneet is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of YTECHB. He has a huge passion for tinkering with latest smartphones, wearables, smart home devices, smart TVs, and more. As an avid Apple Ecosystem user, he loves customizing his iPhone and iPad to suit his needs. For tips, you can connect Haneet at haneetsingh@outlook.com In 2019, Haneet and the YTECHB team exclusively shared the wallpapers of iPhone 11 right before the launch event. In 2020, Haneet alongside his team members shared exclusive renders and official photos of two Samsung Galaxy smartphones - the Galaxy M11, and Galaxy M21. Later, the YTECHB team leaks information about Motorola's feature phones and Razr 3. In the last few months, our team shared Galaxy S24 Ultra leaks and more. You may come across with our work getting mentioned in The Times of India, India Today, Hindustan Times, NDTV, TechRadar, Digital Trends, Yahoo News, GSMArena, Android Authority, Android Central, Android Headlines, SamMobile, XDA, 9to5Google, and many other publications. He works across news, updates, features, guides, and more. If YTECHB writes about it, you can expect him to be involved in some way.

1 thought on “Google kicks off December 2022 security update for Pixel phones”

  1. I installed this security update and now my new Pixel 7 has considerable battery drain when prior to this update, the drain was minimal. Just 3 hours off the charger and I’m already down to 64%, don’t install it.

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