July security patch rolling out to Google Pixel, factory images & OTAs live

Abner Li | Jul 7 2021 - 10:06 am PT

As the next major version of Google’s mobile OS progresses through the Beta Program, Android 11 remains the stable release throughout the summer. Google is now rolling out a more quiet July security patch to address bugs on the Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a (5G), and Pixel 5.

There are 20 issues resolved in the July security patch dated 2021-07-01 and 24 for 2021-07-05. Vulnerabilities range from high to critical, with the most severe relating to the media framework and a remote attacker possibly executing arbitrary code through a crafted file.

In the last Android Security & Privacy Year in Review, Google notes that “no critical security vulnerabilities affecting the Android platform were publicly disclosed without a security update or mitigation available for Android devices.” Additionally, there was an 84% year-over-year jump in security patches during Q4 2018 compared to the prior year.

The dedicated bulletin for Google devices lists 10 security fixes and 2 functional updates. This update enables VoLTE on “certain” unspecified networks, and has a fix for “continued device reboots” under certain scenarios.