Google’s supported Pixel handsets are already receiving the May 2022 update, which fixes bugs and security vulnerabilities. This is also the last update that the Pixel 3a and 3a XL will receive.
Among the changes, Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro users should see improved haptics “under certain conditions and use cases,” a problem that was apparently caused by the March 2022 Pixel update, go figure. And all supported Pixels—including the Pixel 3a, 3a XL, 4, 4 XL, 4a, 4a (5G), 5, 5a (5G), 6, and 6 Pro—are getting two fixes. One for an error that causes the display to wake up on its own and one for an issue that causes launcher crashes after restarting the device in certain conditions.
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The May 2022 update also fixes the notorious Dirty Pipe vulnerability across all supported Android devices. This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel at the heart of Android and could cause malicious code to gain full control of a successfully hacked device. (The good news is that only a small number of very recent Android handsets were impacted.)
As for the Pixel 3a, it’s turning three years old and is thus out of support after May 2022. Check out my original review from 2019 and a 2020 follow-up for a nostalgic look back at Google’s first a-series smartphone. Despite the mid-level specs, it was a gem.
UPDATE: Google says it will in fact issue one more update for the Pixel 3a/3a XL “by July.” —Paul