Google has a tradition of releasing monthly Android updates on the first Monday of every month. While Pixel and select premium phones get new features and security patches, others only receive the latest.
However, this time around (March 6), Google hasn’t rolled out a patch yet, but it did reveal what’s coming in the March Android update.
It has been confirmed that the new firmware patch will fix about 32 known critical vulnerabilities. Some of them can allow malicious parties to remotely execute codes in the system. In layman’s terms, hackers can hijack the phone and steal information.
“The most serious of these issues is a critical security vulnerability in the system component that could allow remote code execution without the need for additional execution privileges. User interaction is not required for exploitation. Severity rating is based on the effect of exploiting the vulnerability would have on an affected device, assuming the platform and service restrictions are disabled for development purposes or if they have been successfully circumvented,” reads Google Android Security Bulletin – March 2023.
According to the brand-specific chipset vulnerabilities listed in the bulletin, 21 are related to Qualcomm, four to Unisoc, and three to MediaTek.
There’s no official word on when the software rollout will begin, but we expect it to begin in a few days. Android phone owners are advised to update to the latest version when it becomes available.
Pixel phones get new feature via March Android update
In addition to security patches, as mentioned earlier, Google would release new features for Pixel phones.
And, very importantly, Google had promised to bring 5G support to Pixel 6a, Pixel 7 and 7 Pro via the March Android update in India.
People have already started questioning the search engine giant on social media platforms like Twitter and asking for ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival). Almost all budget and premium models of phones sold in India now support 5G, but Pixel phones are yet to get the update.
According to the leaked changelog of Google’s March 2023 update, Pixel phones are expected to get built-in Health Connect within the operating system and it will allow users to connect all health-related metrics under one roof and have control to sync with third-party health providers. and fitness apps related to their smartwatch. Users can also enable or disable permission to track body health metrics.
Also, older devices such as the Pixel 4 and 5 series are expected to get the Direct My Call feature, which provides a direct text interface menu to navigate customer service calls. This avoids the tedious voice-based queuing system, which also requires pressing multiple numbers on the keypad to finally talk to the customer service representative.
And older Pixel phones will soon be able to take low-light photos faster than ever before. The new photography algorithm allows the Tensor-powered Pixel phones to process the photo taken with Night Sight mode enabled.
However, some new features are limited to selected global regions.
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