Asus ZenFone 6 (6Z) August security update improves sound quality, video call tuning & more

Asus ZenFone 6 users have had quite a bumpy month or so. The device, also known as Asus 6Z in India, has over the past weeks featured multiple times on PiunikaWeb coverage mostly not for the good reasons, but not always for the bad reasons.

Not long ago, we learned that 960fps video recording in slow motion might never make it to not just the ZenFone 6, but also its predecessor, the ZenFone 5Z.

Asus also promised that fixes for the speaker issues would be part of the next OTA update the device receives. These issues started showing up a while ago and even after the most recent update to build .174, they still persisted.

It has also come to light that Asus ZenFone 6 flip camera is producing some irritating sound when switching to selfie mode and back. It’s unlikely that this can be fixed via a software update, so you may have to live with it.

Earlier, Asus also acknowledged the call quality issues facing the ZenFone 6. But it was the update that broke motherboards that caught many people’s attention, prompting Asus to recommend that affected users get motherboard replacement for the damaged 6Z sets.

Interestingly, none of these updates causing nightmares to Asus 6Z users bumped the device’s security patch level to a newer version, but this ends today.

A new software update is available for the WW and EU variants of the ZenFone 6 as firmware version 16.1220.1908.189 for both variants. The release notes went live yesterday, meaning the OTA is probably out there already.

The same firmware version means the two share the same changelog. Speaker issues seem to have been addressed as promised since the changelog mentions improved audio quality. There’s also the mention of improved video call tuning quality and the smart key now supports 18 more settings.

Recently we highlighted the lack of Android security updates for the ZenFone 6 despite the many software updates the device has been receiving. Cut to now. Asus has bundled both July and August security patches in the latest update to the device.

This is an OTA update. Usually, such updates may take several days before all targeted units receive the download notification. You’ll have to be patient as you wait for the software to arrive on your device. You can also try forcing the update via the software update option in the Settings menu.

Alternatively, you can grab the download file from the link below and install the update manually on your ZenFone 6 handset, but be sure you are familiar with how this works before going down this road.

Download link

• Device: Asus ZenFone 6
• Codename: ZS630KL
• Channel: WW/EU
• Version: 16.1220.1908.189
• Android: 9.0
  • Type: Recovery
    • Download: Link
    • MD5: f1bc0426126eea9f099277066facac9e

NOTE: You can check out more Asus-related coverage on this page.

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