Android August security patch is available for Pixel phones

[harlan4096]

A new month just cannot start without a Google Security Update. Google started rolling out the security patch to Samsung phones at the end of July already, although the August update only included minor bug fixes. Now, it's the turn of Pixel phones, and this latest security patch is an important one.

Although there's only one general fix in the August security update for Pixel phones specifically, it's a big fix, and very likely one that Pixel users will appreciate immensely. Pixel users have reported instances where Google Assistant will be accidentally invoked without any prompting from the user. Although Google didn’t elaborate on precisely what the issue was, the fix is beneficial, especially if you're tired of Google Assistant chiming in when you don’t need it.

Although the August security update is a modest one, it shouldn't come as a surprise as both Android 11 and the current OS on Pixel phones are mature. With the upcoming release of Android 12 and the new Pixel phones, the focus is more on preparing for the future than polishing existing products.

Suppose you're eager to get the security patch installed on your device. In that case, you can do so manually by downloading the relevant factory image, or you can wait for the over-the-air (OTA) message, which should be arriving shortly.

Aside from this Pixel-specific update, other Android users will be receiving a few fixes as well. Among these fixes is that high severity issues on Android Framework, Media Framework, and System libraries have been addressed. Media Framework and Codecs were also updated. Qualcomm and MediaTek have also addressed patch exploits found in their hardware. Finally, Widevine DRM also updated components to address a critical vulnerability.

Conclusion

There's no denying the value of a security update, regardless of how small it may seem. This latest August patch addresses a few minor issues on Android devices, as well as a very annoying problem where Google Assistant starts running without being prompted on Pixel phones. These are issues we can all certainly live without.
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