Pixel Android December 13 update rolls out with lots of fixes

by James · December 6, 2022

Yesterday, new software features came to the Pixel family of devices via the usual Pixel Feature Drop. The new features for the Pixel phone include the promised free Google One VPN, Clear Calling, Recorder app speaker labels, Spatial Audio, new live wallpapers and unified security and privacy settings. Here is a summary of feature availability per device:

Source / ✝ Only available in English (US)

But apart from the new exciting features, Pixel phones also received their December 2022 monthly software update, as well as the final and stable release for those enrolled in the Android 13 QPR1 beta. Essentially, the December 2022 update (Build TQ1A.221205.011) includes the Pixel Feature drop plus the latest platform optimizations, bug fixes, and security updates that address areas such as device performance, stability, and connectivity. The list of issues that have been fixed can be found below, and it is quite long:

Apps

Fix the issue that caused text input into certain fields in the Phone app to appear in a darker color

Fix issues that occasionally cause playback errors when browsing video content in certain apps

Fix issues that occasionally prevent text messages from being restored from cloud backups during device setup

General background performance improvements in some Google apps

Sound

General improvements to USB audio support for various cables or accessories *[1]

General improvements to support different audio codecs with certain devices or accessories *[4]

Battery charging

Battery usage in Settings shows information since the last full charge (up to 7 days)

Fix issues that occasionally cause the device to turn off while battery sharing is active *[4]

Fix issues that occasionally cause higher battery usage during media playback with certain apps *[2]

Fix issues that occasionally prevent adaptive charging from working under certain conditions *[2]

Fix issues that occasionally prevent wireless charging from working with certain accessories *[2]

General improvements to charging, battery usage or thermal performance under certain conditions *[1]

Biometrics

Fix issues that occasionally cause audio to skip when played over certain Bluetooth devices or accessories *[2]

Fix issues that occasionally lag when the fingerprint icon appears on the lock screen *[1]

Fix issues that occasionally prevent the fingerprint sensor from detecting touch while always-on display is active *[3]

Fix the issue where fingerprint registration could occasionally display visual errors under certain conditions *[1]

Improvements to face lock lock screen help text displayed under certain conditions *[2]

blue tooth

Fix issue that causes music playback to continue with no audible sound after a call ends while using certain Bluetooth accessories *[2]

Fix issues that occasionally cause audio to skip when played over certain Bluetooth devices or accessories *[2]

Fix the issue that occasionally prevents audio exchange between connected Bluetooth devices under certain conditions

Fix issues that occasionally prevent Bluetooth Low Energy devices from displaying a device name during pairing

Fix issues that occasionally prevent connection to car head units with older Bluetooth versions

Fix issues that occasionally prevent discovery of certain Bluetooth devices or accessories

Fix issue that occasionally prevents previously paired Bluetooth devices from reconnecting

General improvements to Bluetooth stability and performance under certain conditions

Camera

Fix issues that occasionally cause the camera app to crash while zooming in or switching modes *[2]

Fix issues that occasionally cause the viewfinder preview to show a blank screen *[2]

Fix issue where video captured while switching between camera modes occasionally shows gaps in playback *[2]

General improvements to camera stability and performance under certain conditions

Screen and graphics

Fix issues that occasionally cause the screen to flicker when waking from the always-on display

Fix issues that occasionally cause visual artifacts or errors while using certain apps or games *[3]

Framework

Fix issues that occasionally cause notifications to appear in a different color theme than the system

Fix issues that occasionally cause incorrect characters to appear after a newline in certain apps or UI elements

Fix issues that occasionally cause Work Profile app notifications to appear even if Work Profile is paused

Fix issues that occasionally prevent some apps from rotating to landscape orientation

Fix issues that occasionally prevent the keyboard from being rejected while using certain apps

Sensors

Fix issues that occasionally prevent “tap to wake” or “lift to wake” from working under certain conditions *[1]

Fix occasional issues that prevent adaptive brightness from activating under certain conditions

Fix issues that occasionally prevent Quick Tap from triggering app or system shortcuts under certain conditions

Fix to improve adaptive brightness transitions during phone calls under certain conditions *[1]

General improvements to proximity sensor performance under certain lighting conditions *[1]

System

General improvements to system stability and performance under certain conditions

General improvements to optimize device thermal performance under certain conditions or use cases *[1]

Telephony

Fix issue causing reduced network or call stability under certain conditions *[2]

Fix issues that occasionally prevent network SIM cards from activating under certain conditions *[3]

General stability and performance improvements for network connectivity under certain conditions

General improvements to network connectivity after turning off airplane mode

General improvements to switching between 3G to 4G on certain carrier networks

General improvements to VPN connection stability and performance on mobile networks under certain conditions

General improvements to Wi-Fi call stability and performance for certain carriers or networks

Improve dual SIM network connectivity under certain conditions *[3]

Improve RCS message stability under certain conditions *[2]

Touch

General improvements to touch response and performance under certain conditions *[1]

User interface

Change the behavior of the home screen search bar to open the Google app when you tap the G logo

Fix issues that occasionally cause the “Pause job apps” button to appear above the app drawer or in the wrong position

Fix issues that occasionally cause certain settings switches to appear disabled or set to the wrong state

Fix issues that occasionally cause your device’s color theme to change unexpectedly

Fix issues that occasionally cause app icons on the home screen to appear duplicated after adjusting the grid size

Fix issues that occasionally cause home screen widgets or icons to appear small or scaled down under certain conditions

Fix issues that occasionally cause media player controls to appear invisible or hidden in the notification shade

Fix issues that occasionally cause the notification overflow points to place app icons on the lock screen

Fix issues that occasionally cause notifications to disappear or appear invisible in the notification shade

Fix issues that occasionally cause screenshots to fail under certain conditions

Fix issues that occasionally cause suggested apps in Search to overlap or display results

Fix issues that occasionally cause text to appear incorrectly truncated or truncated in different font sizes

Fix issues that occasionally cause the UI to reset after adjusting the screen resolution

Fix issues that occasionally cause the wallpaper to appear black or blank under certain conditions

Fix the issue that occasionally enables touch interaction during the transition to the lock screen after the screen is turned off

Fix issue that occasionally prevents album art in the media player from updating when content changes

Fix the issue that occasionally prevents media player controls from appearing on the lock screen

Fix issues that occasionally prevent the screen from appearing blank or frozen after launching certain apps

Fix issue where incoming notifications were occasionally displayed above others listed in the notification panel

Fix to improve the responsiveness of the At A Glance home and lock screen widget for certain conditions or use cases

Fix to improve spacing for certain UI modals in device layout and settings

General performance improvements in certain UI transitions and animations

WiFi

Fix issues that occasionally prevent the hotspot from turning on under certain conditions *[1]

General improvements to Wi-Fi network connection stability and performance under certain conditions *[1]

*[1] Included on Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro
*[2] Included on Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro
*[3] Included on Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a
*[4] Included on Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro

All Pixel devices running Android 13 (Pixel 4a, 5, 5a, 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro) started receiving these upgrades yesterday. The rollout will continue over the next week in phases, so if your eligible device doesn’t show the update available yet, you might just have to wait a few more days. But when the OTA (over-the-air) update becomes available for your device, you will receive a notification.