What you need to know
- Google rolled out its April 2024 security update starting on April 2, following the release of the Pixel Watch's April 2024 update.
- The update includes 28 general security patches for Android and another 25 that are exclusively for Pixel devices. Google believes two vulnerabilities are actively being exploited.
- There are also bug fixes related to the Pixel Camera app and biometrics included in the April 2024 update.
Google announced that the April 2024 security update is rolling out as of April 2 in a Pixel community post, so you might start seeing it now on your Pixel device. Other Android phone makers, such as Samsung, released their monthly security patches as early as last week. The April 2024 update for Pixel phones came just after the update for Pixel Watches was released earlier on Tuesday.
The security update is available for the following Pixel device models with the AP1A.240405.002 build number (and the .A1 version of the build for the Pixel Fold).
The April 2024 update will be available starting today on the Pixel 5a 5G and newer, but it could take a few weeks for it to appear, depending on your device, carrier, and region.
Google explains that there are eight general Android 14 security patches included in the April 2024 update. Eight of them are dated to the April 1 bulletin, while there are 20 more dated April 5. Google does not provide much information about these vulnerabilities but does attach a severity level to each one. The security flaws in the April 1 and April 5 bulletins have severities ranging from high to critical.
Aside from the security flaws in Android 14, there are 25 patches specifically for Pixel devices. These range from moderate to critical, and Google says that two of them "may be under limited, targeted exploitation." The two flaws have been assigned to CVE codes CVE-2024-29745 and CVE-2024-29748. The first affects the Pixel bootloader, while the second affects Pixel firmware. As of now, this is all we know about these flaws, but you'll want to update your phone ASAP to apply the patches.
Finally, the April 2024 update includes a few bug fixes for Pixel devices:
- The update fixes an exposure bug that we reported on last month affecting the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
- The update fixes an issue that caused black halo artifacts to show up in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro viewfinder when switching from photo to video mode at standard 1x zoom.
- Camera stability is improved when changing zoom levels on the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Fold.
- A bug that caused a black screen to show up when unlocking a Pixel 5a (5G) in certain situations has been fixed.
You can check if your Pixel phone has the April 2024 update by navigating to Settings > System > Software update.
Fold into the future
The Google Pixel Fold is one of the coolest Android phones on the market. You get all the best parts of a regular Pixel smartphone with the versatility of a folding display that opens up into a more tablet-like experience, giving you more real-estate for apps, games, photos, videos and more.
