Summary
- Google continues to deliver monthly security updates for Pixel devices at a regular cadence, including the February 2024 update.
- The February update focuses on bug fixes and improvements rather than introducing new features.
- The update addresses issues with the camera, display, graphics, framework, and Wi-Fi stability and performance.
Even though Google gave up on a fixed day for Pixel updates back in October 2023, the company has still dropped security updates every month since — and February 2024 is apparently no exception. When announcing its industry-leading promise of seven years of updates for the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, the company said it would deploy updates “as soon as they’ve completed the necessary tests” rather than on a specific day. Yet here we are on the first Monday of the month, and like clockwork, Google is rolling out its next Android update for Pixel devices.
The company today announced that the February 2024 update has begun rolling out to eligible Pixel devices, which include all of Google’s phones and tablets starting with the Pixel 5a 5G. This version has a build number of UQ1A.240205.002 on most Pixels, though the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro get a slightly different number with UQ1A.240205.004. Considering we just got a surprise Feature Drop in late January, it’s understandable that the release notes don’t highlight any new functionality, but rather, fixes for bugs.
The February 2024 update includes bug fixes and improvements for Pixel users – see below for details.
- General improvements for system stability and performance in certain conditions *[1]
- Fix for display getting corrupted in certain conditions *[1]
- Fix for issue with outer display in certain conditions *[2]
- Fix for stability or performance with certain third party apps *[3]
- General improvements for Wi-Fi stability and performance in certain conditions *[1]
This comes shortly after Google published the February 2024 Android Security Bulletin, which is divided up into two security patch levels: February 1 and February 5. The first set deals with security flaws that pertain to Android itself, while the second contains fixes for vendor-specific issues. The former contains patches for 15 vulnerabilities, with the worst being a critical-severity bug in the Android System (CVE-2024-0031) that “could lead to remote code execution with no additional execution privileges needed.” The February 5 patch notes outline fixes for a total of 31 vulnerabilities in components from Qualcomm, Arm, MediaTek, and Unisoc, though some of these might not be included in today’s Pixel update if they’re not applicable.
Recently, the January 2024 Google Play System update was paused after it caused storage issues on some Pixel devices, which may be what Google’s referring to with the “Fix for stability or performance with certain third party apps” bullet above. Unlike monthly security updates or Feature Drops, Play System updates install silently in the background, so those affected may not have noticed until they ran into problems saving screenshots or encountered app crashes. Google has provided a temporary fix for those affected by these issues, and we have a step-by-step guide at the link below.
How to fix your Pixel phone’s storage problems after installing the January 2024 update
Pixel owners are facing app crashes due to a flawed Google Play System update
If you’re ready to install today’s update, head to Settings → System → System update, then tap Check for updates and follow the prompts for installation. If you can’t stand the wait, or you’re hoping this update might solve ongoing storage woes, you can use the manual method to flash the factory images or sideload the OTA.
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