Google has released the February update for Pixel devices, but some devices are conspicuously not receiving it. This continues a pattern that’s been taking shape since late last year — some older devices seem to be missing Google’s monthly security updates. It’s become increasingly clear that Google is moving the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series to a quarterly schedule.
Now, it’s important to note that Google has not yet publicly confirmed this new schedule. However, it hasn’t denied it, either. Additionally, some Pixel owners are reaching out to customer support and receiving responses that state that the company is moving “legacy hardware” to a “more sustainable” quarterly schedule. According to this correspondence, the next major system update for the Pixel 7 will be the March Feature Drop.
What devices are affected by the change?
Looks like it’s just the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series
As far as we can tell, these are the devices moving to a quarterly update schedule:
- Pixel 6
- Pixel 6 Pro
- Pixel 6a
- Pixel 7
- Pixel 7 Pro
It was first noticed that something was up when the Pixel 6 series didn’t get the scheduled monthly update in July last year. As the year went on, the Pixel 6 missed more security updates, and the Pixel 7 series joined it in November.
All newer devices, including the Pixel 7a, appear to be keeping to the monthly update schedule. That said, it’s a safe bet that these phones will also move to quarterly as they approach end-of-life.
It’s also important to note that the quarterly updates are the Feature Drops. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 should continue to receive the useful features Pixels are known for throughout their support lifespan. The only change here is the cadence of security updates on these phones.
Google says the new schedule won’t affect device security
The company is prioritizing resources
Droid-Life reached out to Google for comment and was told the phones would “remain security compliant for the full duration of their support windows.” That’s a pretty vague statement, but presumably the phones will still be receiving the same security patches, just on a slower schedule. Honestly, quarterly updates are almost certainly fine from a security standpoint — the big shock here is that it’s a departure from how we’ve come to expect Google to handle Pixel updates.
I can’t say I blame the company, though. The Pixel 6 was released in 2021 and will receive its final update later this year. Initially, the phone was slated to receive three years of OS updates and five years of security updates. In 2024, Google extended the support window of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series to five OS updates (it also just did the same for the Pixel Tablet).
However, that doesn’t change the fact that the phones are reaching the end of their support windows. Google apparently feels that bundling security updates with the quarterly feature drops on these devices frees up resources for other things.
