Android’s May security update is rolling out now to Google Pixel phones
Google is running two concurrent beta programs right now — one for Android 14 and one for the June Pixel Feature Drop — but that hasn't stopped the company from pushing ahead on its stable channel updates. As fun as new features can be, security patches are more important from a practical standpoint, and the May 2023 update has now arrived to shore up weaknesses in Android 13 for Pixel phones.
As is tradition, Google started seeding the update on the first Monday of the month. For Pixel phones in particular, this new version contains a couple of bug fixes — notably, the Pixel 7 Pro's touch screen response lag has finally been addressed. The update sports a version number of TQ2A.230505.002 on all global variants of supported Pixel phones.
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Touch Improvements for touch screen response in certain conditions *[1] User Interface Fix for issue occasionally causing lock screen UI elements to overlap with home screen launcher interface *[1] Included on Pixel 7 Pro
Google also published the May Android Security Bulletin, which outlines fixes for vulnerabilities in Android as a whole. This month's bulletin is split into two patch levels: May 1 and May 5. Google does this to make it easier for individual phone OEMs to include these fixes in their own monthly patches, and as such, the first patch level contains fixes for Android OS vulnerabilities, while the second deals with vendor-specific vulnerabilities.
The May 1 bulletin has a total of 16 patches for common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) in the Android system and framework. Meanwhile, 29 vendor-specific CVEs were fixed in the May 5 patch level, and two Pixel-specific CVEs were addressed. In total, 47 CVEs have been plugged up, with none being deemed critical — only high and moderate severity, with the worst vulnerability potentially leading to privilege escalation only if an attacker had physical access to your device.
The update is rolling out now to Pixel phones, and all you have to do to get it is head to Settings -> System -> System update, then tap Check for update. Depending on your carrier, there may be a slight delay in the new firmware's availability — notably, T-Mobile Pixel users have had to wait an extra week or two for the last few updates to become available. If you're in a rush, there's always the manual method of flashing the factory images or sideloading the OTA.
Source: Android Police
