February security patch rolling out to Google Pixel, factory images and OTAs live

Abner Li | Feb 4 2019 - 10:09 am PT

With 2019 well under way, Google today released the February security patch for the Pixel phone lineup, as well as the Pixel C tablet. However, Google did not provide a list of the functional updates for the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL this month.

There are 15 issues resolved in the February security patch dated 2019-02-01 and 27 for 2019-02-05. 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.

As usual, Google notes that there are no reports of customers being affected by these security issues. The company cited in its 2017 year in review of Android security that 30% more devices are getting patches compared to the prior year.

Like in January, there are no more updates for the Nexus 5X and 6P after Google officially dropped security patch support. Interestingly, the Pixel C tablet from 2015 continues to receive Android 8.1 fixes. A related change sees the Google Material Theme refresh of the “Check for update” UI widely rolled out.

Meanwhile, the dedicated bulletin for Google’s phones and tablets lists no security fixes and does not specify the functional updates for this month. Google only notes that the February security patch “contains many functional updates and improvements to various parts of the Android platform and supported Pixel devices.”

All Pixel devices running Android 9 will receive an Android 9 update as part of the February OTA. This quarterly release contains many functional updates and improvements to various parts of the Android platform and supported Pixel devices.

The full download and OTA links for the February security patch are below. If you need help, check out our guides on how to flash a factory or OTA image.

Android 9.0