[Updated] Some Google Pixel users still stuck on November 2022 update, but there's a potential workaround

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on January 04, 2023) follows:

Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are the company’s latest Android-based flagship mobile phones. Alongside their older siblings, these devices are once again the talk of the town.

Despite their popularity, users face some problems every now and then. For instance, we recently covered an issue where some Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro owners experienced ‘screen flickering’ issues on their devices.

This time, owners of various Google Pixel devices seem to be facing problems updating their phones. Apparently, they are stuck on old security patches released in 2022.

According to reports (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10), multiple users are unable to update their devices to the latest January 2023 security patch. Those who purchased the phone from ‘Google Fi’ seem to be the most affected.

The glitch is persistent across multiple Pixel devices, ranging from the Pixel 4 to the latest Pixel 7 smartphones.

While some Pixel 4 XL users are stuck on October 2022 patch. Other Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5a 5G, Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 owners say that they are stuck on the November 2022 update.

Users are unable to update these phones to the latest January patch because of some strange issues.

Hey @madebygoogle, why does my Pixel 7 Pro keep saying that it’s only getting the November update?
Source

Any other P7P owners not able to get the December update? Mine is showing “up to date” with November dates for both the Play system update and the security update (build TD1A.221105.001).
Source

I have a Pixel 6a still on the November Security update.
Source

This makes some worried, as a recently released advisory pointed out that Pixel owners should update their smartphones in order to patch some critical security vulnerabilites, which have popped up recently.

A user on the Google support forum pointed out that it might be possible that Google delayed or canceled the updates as they were buggy.

Although, it must be noted that when someone contacted Google Fi support, they were told that updates on Fi-purchased devices may take up to 100 days from the day of release to arrive.

Fi Support has been saying one more week since the December security updates were announced on December 5th. They will say there is no official timeline but have replied with answers anywhere from 1 week to 100 days from the announcement date, but that you need to wait for the notification. Pixel Support will tell you to do a factory reset (might work in some cases, but not all) and if it doesn’t work then it is not their fault and transfer you to Fi Support.

Fortunately, Google Fi has responded to the matter on their official Twitter handle. The company stated that it will eventually roll out the long pending updates.

We did come across some potential workarounds that may help solve the problem for some.

You can get the latest update on your phone by replacing the Fi SIM with some other carrier’s SIM card. After doing so, you will be able to download and install the latest Android update on your phone.

After the successful completion of the update, you can switch back to your old Fi SIM card.

Also, you can try to sideload the latest January 2023 update patch on your Pixel smartphones from this website.

That said, we’ll keep an eye on the issue where Pixel devices on Google Fi are stuck on the October or November 2022 patch and update this article as and when something noteworthy comes up.

02:24 pm (IST): It seems that some carrier-specific (T-Mobile, AT&T, Mint Mobile) Pixel 7,7 Pro units aren’t receiving the January patch (1,2,3).

12:55 pm (IST): A possible fix for Pixel 7 users on T-Mobile has been offered by a user. However, Pixel users with e-sim and those with other carriers can also test this to see if it works.

if your using esim, try disabling it and plug in a random sim card doesnt need service.
for some reason that triggered the update.
Source

12:02 pm (IST): We have come across another workaround that can help the affected users fetch the January update. You can check it out below.

12:06 pm (IST): According to one of our readers, it’s believed that there seems to be a difference of opinion between Google and T-Mobile over the January 2023 update.

My Pixel 4a5g on T-mobile still has not gotten Dec 2022 security update. Apparently there is disagreement concerning this update between T-Mobile & Google. Google is the one that promised updates & they should resolve it promptly.

Thanks for the tip: Bob Omer!

06:02 pm (IST): January 2023 update rollout for Pixel phones has reportedly (1, 2) been paused indefinitely due to some unknown issue.

01:47 pm (IST): A product expert has confirmed that Google Fi and T-Mobile have paused January 2023 update rollout due to eSIM issue.

03:22 pm (IST): There are users who were stuck in the November Google Play system update. This update is different from the Android system update, since it is focused on the Google Play Store and Play services features.

Now, some of those users report finally receiving the January Google Play system update. That said, there are some cases where, after installing the update and restarting the phone, it is still on the November update (1, 2, 3).

10:37 am (IST): It seems that Pixel users (1,2,3) on T-Mobile who were stuck on the November 2022 update have finally got the recent February update.

NOTE: You can also check the Google Fi and Pixel section for more information.

Featured and inline image source: Google Pixel 7

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