Google has released security update bulletins for April 2021 fixing a bunch of vulnerabilities in Pixel smartphone lineup, as well as other Android-powered handsets. The vulnerabilities in the Pixel smartphones are rated moderate, and the Android bulletin rates the vulnerabilities from high to critical. The Pixel smartphone lineup, that includes Pixel 3 and above, have got additional optimisations in camera, connectivity, and system departments. A few Android-powered flagship smartphones from Samsung and Realme have already got the April 2021 security update.
While the April 2021 Android security patch should be rolled out by OEMs as per their schedules, Pixel handsets usually get the update notifications on the day of release. This time around, Google has also released a list of optimisations that come along with the Pixel security patch. These include optimisations in camera, connectivity, performance, system, and system UI in the Pixel smartphone lineup. All the global Pixel variants have build number RQ2A.210405.005, and Google Pixel 3 XL Canadian model has build number RQ2A.210405.006.
In the Camera department, Google Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 have got improvement in camera quality in certain third-party apps. Both these phones have also got a boost in performance for certain graphic-intensive games and apps. When it comes to connectivity, the update brings a fix for the issue that caused certain devices to appear offline while they are connected to a VPN. This issue has been fixed in Pixel 3 and above smartphones.
The update fixes the freeze issue on Google logo during startup in Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 smartphones. Furthermore, there is also a fix for missing home grid settings in Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL and Pixel 4a. The handsets did not get custom grid size options.
What is the best phone under Rs. 15,000 in India right now? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Later (starting at 27:54), we speak to OK Computer creators Neil Pagedar and Pooja Shetty. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
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