Owners of Pixels have good news! The December 2023 security patch and the Android 14 QPR1 update are now formally available for Pixel devices. The Pixel phones and Pixel Tablet are receiving a ton of new features, bug fixes, and performance enhancements with this update.
December Pixel update: New features are available with Android 14 QPR1
The ability to force an app into a particular aspect ratio on the Pixel Fold and Tablet is one of the most noteworthy additions made possible by the Android 14 QPR 1 update.
For more customized viewing experiences, users can select between full screen, half screen, or 16:9 (on tablets) aspect ratios with this “experimental” feature. Under Settings > Applications > Aspect Ratio, users can find this feature.
The update also adds new battery information, which can be found under Settings > About phone > Battery information. This information includes “Manufacture data” and “Cycle count.”
Aesthetics are also not overlooked in the update. With the addition of the “Metro” lock screen clock, Pixel users now have access to nine different clock styles.
When switching backgrounds, the Wallpaper & Style section also adds a subtle particle effect. Improvements have also been made to the Pixel Launcher, which now has a more noticeable settings shortcut and adjusted search preferences.
Android 14 QPR1 uses a lighter background to differentiate between selected and unselected tiles, making it easier to navigate Quick Settings. When your fingerprint isn’t recognized on the Pixel Tablet, a more conspicuous toast message displays, enhancing both security and usability.
Similarly, the World widget now shows the current temperature along with highs and lows, and the Clock app now shows the weather for the cities you’ve saved.
In addition to the visual and user interface adjustments, 33 vulnerabilities with varying degrees of severity in the Android OS are fixed by the December 2023 security patch. There are 33 more security updates for Google devices, so you can be sure yours is well-defended against any threats.
The Pixel 5a, 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a, Tablet, Fold, 8, and 8 Pro are among the devices that are presently receiving the update. By navigating to Settings > System > System updates, you can manually check for updates.
You can also download the factory images or wait for your device to receive the over-the-air update if you can’t wait to use the new features. For each device, the download links are as follows:
Pixel 8 Pro: Factory Image — OTA — UQ1A.231205.015
Pixel 8: Factory Image — OTA — UQ1A.231205.015
Pixel Fold: OTA — Factory Image — UQ1A.231205.015
Pixel Tablet: OTA — Factory Image — UQ1A.231205.015
Pixel 7a: Factory Image — OTA — UQ1A.231205.015
Pixel 7 Pro: Factory Image — OTA — UQ1A.231205.015
Pixel 7: Factory Image — OTA — UQ1A.231205.015
Pixel 6a: Factory Image — OTA — UQ1A.231205.015
Pixel 6 Pro: Factory Image — OTA — UQ1A.231205.015
Pixel 6: Factory Image — OTA — UQ1A.231205.015
Pixel 5a: Factory Image — OTA — UQ1A.231205.014