Google publishes a new Android Security Bulletin on the first Monday of every month, highlighting all the security vulnerabilities patched by the latest security update. Barring a few delays, Google has stuck to this schedule for the past few years, so it’s no surprise that the company published its December 2022 Android Security Bulletin and rolled out a new security update for supported Pixel devices.
Android Security Update Bulletin December 2022
In the latest Android Security Bulletin, Google disclosed several security vulnerabilities affecting Android Runtime, Framework, Media Framework, System, and Google Play system updates components. The company patched these vulnerabilities with security patch level 2022-12-1. In addition, Google has disclosed a set of vulnerabilities in closed source vendor components that have been addressed with security patch level 2022-12-5.
Bullet/refresh function to update pixels
Besides patching security vulnerabilities affecting all Android devices, the December 2022 Android security update also patches several Pixel exclusive issues. Check out the full changelog in the section below for fixes included in the latest update:
- Apps
- Fixes an issue that caused text entry to certain fields in the mobile app to display in a darker color
- Fixes an issue that sometimes causes playback errors when searching for video content in certain apps
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented restoring text messages from cloud backups during device setup
- General background performance improvements in some Google apps
- My voice
- General improvements to USB audio support for multiple cables or accessories
- General improvements to support different audio codecs with specific devices or accessories
- The battery is charging
- Battery usage in settings displays information since the last full charge (up to 7 days)
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused the device to turn off while battery sharing was active
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused battery usage to increase during media playback with certain apps
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented adaptive charging from working in certain conditions
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented wireless charging from working with some accessories
- General improvements to charging, battery usage, or thermal performance under certain conditions
- Biometrics
- Fix for an issue that sometimes caused audio to skip when played on certain Bluetooth devices or accessories
- Fixes an issue that sometimes lags when displaying the fingerprint icon on the lock screen
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented the fingerprint sensor from detecting touch when the screen is always on
- Fixes an issue where fingerprint registration could sometimes display visual glitches in certain circumstances
- Improvements to the Face Lock Screen Assistant text appear in certain circumstances
- bluetooth
- Fixes an issue that causes music to continue playing without an audible sound after ending a call while using certain Bluetooth accessories
- Fix for an issue that sometimes caused audio to skip when played on certain Bluetooth devices or accessories
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented audio from switching between connected Bluetooth devices in certain circumstances
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented Bluetooth Low Energy devices from displaying the device name during pairing
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented communication with car head units using older Bluetooth versions
- Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented certain Bluetooth devices or accessories from being detected
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented previously paired Bluetooth devices from reconnecting
- General improvements to Bluetooth stability and performance in certain conditions
- camera
- Fix for an issue that sometimes caused the Camera app to crash while zooming or switching modes
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused the viewfinder preview to display a blank screen
- Fixes an issue where video recorded while switching between camera modes would sometimes show playback gaps
- General improvements to camera stability and performance in certain conditions
- Presentation and graphics
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused the screen to flicker when waking up from the always-on display
- Fixes an issue that sometimes causes visual defects or glitches while using certain apps or games
- Domain
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused notifications to display in a different color theme than the system
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused the wrong character to appear after a newline in some apps or widgets
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused work profile app notifications to appear even if the work profile was paused
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented some apps from being rotated to landscape orientation
- Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented keyboard rejection while using certain apps
- tentacles
- Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented Tap to Wake or Raise to Wake from working in certain circumstances
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented adaptive brightness from activating in certain circumstances
- Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented Quick Tap from launching app or system shortcuts in certain circumstances
- Fix to improve adaptive brightness transitions during phone calls in certain circumstances
- General improvements to the performance of the proximity sensor under certain lighting conditions
- System
- General improvements to system stability and performance in certain circumstances
- General improvements to improve the thermal performance of the device under certain conditions or use cases
- telephony
- Fixes an issue that causes network or connection stability to decrease under certain conditions
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented network SIM cards from being activated in certain circumstances
- General improvements to network connection stability and performance in certain circumstances
- General network connection improvements after turning off Airplane Mode
- General improvements to switching between 3G and 4G on certain carrier networks
- General improvements to VPN connection stability and performance on mobile networks under certain conditions
- General improvements to the stability and performance of Wi-Fi calling for specific carriers or networks
- Improved dual SIM connectivity in certain circumstances
- Improved stability of RCS messages under certain conditions
- touches
- General improvements to touch response and performance in certain conditions
- user interface
- Change the behavior of the home screen search bar to open the Google app when clicking on the G logo.
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused the “Pause work apps” button to be displayed above the app drawer or in the wrong position
- Fixes an issue that sometimes causes some settings toggles to appear disabled or set to the wrong state
- Fix for an issue that sometimes caused the device’s color theme to change unexpectedly
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused home screen app icons to appear duplicated after adjusting the grid size
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused home screen widgets or icons to appear small or minimized in certain circumstances
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused media player controls to appear invisible or hidden in the notification shade
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused the notification dot to overlay app icons on the lock screen
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused notifications to disappear or appear invisible in Notification Center
- Fixes an issue that sometimes causes screenshot captures to fail under certain circumstances
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused suggested apps to overlap search or display above results
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused text to appear incorrectly truncated or cut off at different font sizes
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused the UI to reset after adjusting the display resolution
- Fixes an issue that sometimes caused the background to appear black or blank in certain circumstances
- Fix for an issue sometimes enabling touch interaction during the lock screen transition after the screen is turned off
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented the media player album art from updating when changing content
- Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented media player controls from being displayed on the lock screen
- Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented the screen from appearing blank or frozen after running certain apps
- Fixes an issue where incoming notifications were sometimes displayed above others listed in Notification Center
- A 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 between some UI skins in device setup and settings
- General performance improvements in certain UI transitions and animations
- WIFI
- Fix for an issue that sometimes prevented the hotspot from launching in certain circumstances
- General improvements to Wi-Fi connection stability and performance under certain conditions
The December 2022 Android security update has started rolling out to the Pixel 4a series, Pixel 5 series, Pixel 5a series, Pixel 6 series, Pixel 6a, and Pixel 7 Pro. If you don’t want to wait for the update, you can head over to our Android 13 download post to get the latest OTA files and factory images for your Pixel phone.
For more information about how Android security patch updates work, see our detailed explanation on this topic.
source: Android Security BulletinAnd the Pixel update bulletinAnd the Google Pixel phone help community
