Pixel Smartphones start receiving a major December update with Feature Drops [OTA Download Links]

After waiting for over the last quarter, the final Feature Drops is here with adamant new features. The Pixel devices are also receiving some major fixes and enhancements with the December update. It is a major update with plenty of major improvements and new feature additions. Let’s talk about all below…

Must See: Google Pixel smartphones starts receiving November 2022 Security Patch and several fixes

The new update is rolling out for the Pixel 4a, 5, 5a, 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7 and 7 Pro. The respective firmware is rolling out to users across the globe.  Below are firmware details of the update along with the links to OTA files.

Software versions

Global

Pixel 4a:              TQ1A.221205.011  OTA

Pixel 4a (5G):    TQ1A.221205.011  OTA

Pixel 5:                TQ1A.221205.011 OTA

Pixel 5a (5G):    TQ1A.221205.011 OTA

Pixel 6:                TQ1A.221205.011 OTA

Pixel 6 Pro:        TQ1A.221205.011  OTA

Pixel 6a:             TQ1A.221205.011 OTA

Pixel 7:                TQ1A.221205.011 OTA

Pixel 7 Pro:        TQ1A.221205.011 OTA

Canada

Pixel 4a:             TQ1A.221205.011.B1 OTA

O2 (UK)

Pixel 6a:             TQ1A.221205.012 OTA

Pixel 7:                TQ1A.221205.012

Pixel 7 Pro:        TQ1A.221205.012 OTA

Pixel Smartphone’s December Update + Feature Drops Features

Feature Drops brings plenty of new features, but here’s a chart showing the availability of features.

Pixel December update added several new fixes and improvements which will improve the stability, connectivity and performance of the device. There have been several improvements for Apps, Audio, battery, Biometrics, Bluetooth, Camera, Framework, Systems and Sensors. Here’s the full Changelog.

What’s included

In addition to new features, the December 2022 software update for Pixel devices includes several fixes and improvements across several areas including device performance, stability, connectivity, and more – see below for some notable improvements.

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 *[1]

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

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 *[4]

Fix for issue occasionally causing higher battery usage during media playback with certain apps *[2]

Fix for issue occasionally preventing Adaptive charging from working in certain conditions *[2]

Fix for issue occasionally preventing wireless charging from working with certain accessories *[2]

General improvements for charging, battery usage or thermal performance in certain conditions *[1]

Biometrics

Fix for issue occasionally causing audio to skip when played over certain Bluetooth devices or accessories *[2]

Fix for issue occasionally delaying when the fingerprint icon is displayed on the lock screen *[1]

Fix for issue occasionally preventing fingerprint sensor from detecting touch while always-on display is active *[3]

Fix for issue where fingerprint enrollment may occasionally display visual glitches in certain conditions *[1]

Improvements for face unlock lock screen helper text shown in certain conditions *[2]

Bluetooth

Fix for issue causing music playback to continue without audible sound after ending a call while using certain Bluetooth accessories *[2]

Fix for issue occasionally causing audio to skip when played over certain Bluetooth devices or accessories *[2]

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 *[2]

Fix for issue occasionally causing viewfinder preview to display a blank screen *[2]

Fix for issue where video that is recorded while switching between camera modes occasionally shows gaps in playback *[2]

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 *[3]

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 *[1]

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 *[1]

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

System

General improvements for system stability and performance in certain conditions

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

Telephony

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

Fix for issue occasionally preventing network SIM cards from activating in certain conditions *[3]

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 *[3]

Improve RCS messaging stability under certain conditions *[2]

Touch

General improvements for touch response and performance in certain conditions *[1]

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 *[1]

General improvements for Wi-Fi network connection stability & performance in certain conditions *[1]

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Device Applicability

Fixes are available for all supported Pixel devices unless otherwise indicated below.

*[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