It is a new month, which means it is time for Google to release its monthly security patches for Android and supported Pixel devices. Security patch level 2019-02-05 is now rolling out to the Pixel family of devices which addresses security vulnerabilities listed in the Android Security Bulletin for February 2019. The company adds that there are no security patches for the February Pixel Update Bulletin. The update is also rolling out for the Essential Phone, as has been the trend in the past.
Currently, all generations of the Pixel lineup of phones running Android 9 Pie will receive the security patches. If you own a Nexus 6P or 5X and are curious about the omission of those devices from the list, it is because those devices are currently unsupported and received their last security patches in November 2018. It must be noted that the first-generation Pixel and Pixel XL are supported till October 2019, after which those devices too will stop receiving the monthly security patches as they will reach the end of support.
Interestingly, this month’s update does not offer any functional updates for the Pixel devices, which means no user-facing bugs or issues were addressed in this update. The Pixel 3 and 3 XL received improvements to audio recording quality in the January update.
Google notifies other partners and OEMs of all issues 30 days before they are published. As usual, the company will release source code containing patches that fix the vulnerabilities and issues detailed in the bulletin to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) repository within two days of publishing the bulletin. Vendors and custom ROM makers will then gain access to the patches for incorporation into their versions of the OS. However, not every Android device receives timely updates, as the updates are manufacturer and carrier dependent.
Supported Pixel devices and the Essential Phone will receive the update as part of the February OTA. It is always possible that there will be a delay for the update to head out to every device in the world, so if you haven’t received it yet, there is nothing to worry about. However, if you intend to sideload the full OTA (over-the-air) images to your phone, you can do so by heading here and following the steps provided.