After weeks of problems and bugs with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, Google released the January security patch earlier than expected. The distribution of the OTA update started on Friday and brought some long-awaited fixes for various Pixel 6 bugs. But are the problems really solved now? And what else is new?
- After postponing the security patch in December, Google has finally fixed the software bugs on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.
- Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro build numbers are changing to SQ1D.220105.007 and SQ1D.220105.007, respectively.
- The “Hold For Me” and “Call Filter” features in the Phone app are back – but only in some regions.
Anyone who owns one of the latest Google smartphones like me has been really happy in the last few days. The reason for this is that Google has finally pushed fixes for the software bugs to the Pixel 6 series – along with fresh security patches. Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro build numbers are changing to SQ1D.220105.007 or. SQ1D.220105.007.
The OTA update contains 215 MB of pure bug fixes and security improvements. / © NextPit
According to the company, the system update should optimize the biometric sensor and the camera. In addition, the smartphones now finally support wireless charging with 23 watts with the Pixel Stand 2 (see our Pixel Stand 2 test report). Google is also fixing issues related to the US 911 bug (CVE-2021-39659) and bringing Hold For Me and Call Filter features back to the Phone app in some regions.
After updating the Pixel 6 Pro to the latest version, I unfortunately have to report that there are still problems here and there.
Buy Google Pixel 6 for 649 euros
Buy Google Pixel 6 Pro for 1073 euros
What has really changed?
In the Pixel Phone Community Hub we can find the changelogs (in English) for the December 2021 and January 2022 updates. Since Google suspended the release of the updates last month, the new OTA update should cover all bug fixes and improvements from both months. As can be seen in the screenshots above, the size of the update is 215 MB. So expect some nice improvements in terms of performance and stability.
In addition to the usual security fixes for Android, my Pixel 6 Pro still has bugs in the camera’s image processing and swipe gestures on the display. Unfortunately, the “Hold for Me” function is apparently still not available in Germany in the phone app settings. If it works for you, I look forward to a comment. However, the “Call Screen” or “Call Filter” is now available, as you can see on the two screenshots on the left.
In contrast to the “Call Screen”, the “Hold for Me” option does not yet appear in the settings of the phone app. But at least: With the Pixel 6 Pro, I can now use the volume rocker to adjust the volume when streaming on Chromecast devices / © NextPit
The two screenshots on the right show another innovation: I can finally use the volume rocker on the Pixel 6 Pro to adjust the volume of streaming apps on the Chromecast, such as Sky Ticket and Mubi. Oddly enough, this doesn’t work with the YouTube app.
The colleagues at have more good news XDA Developers. The patch closes a vulnerability in Android 12 that allowed third-party apps with shell access to change the colors and dimensions of certain system elements, allowing for some system customization without root access or other device modifications – but it also poses potential dangers.
I’ll be taking a closer look at the above changes over the next few days – and I promise to report any bugs and fixes I come across. So be sure to follow NextPit on Facebook, Twitter and Telegram for more information on the Pixel 6 series update.
Have you already updated your Google Pixel 6 or Google Pixel 6 Pro? What do you think of the update so far? Are you satisfied with the devices? Please let me know in the comments!