Pixel’s February security patch elevates ‘About’ menu as update restart can now be scheduled

Abner Li | Feb 4 2019 - 3:48 pm PT

The February security patch rolled out this morning to all Pixel phones running Android 9 Pie. Google opted not to provide a list of included functional updates — only noting “improvements to various parts” of Android — but there are a handful of user-facing changes this month.

“About phone” lists Device name, primary Google Account, Phone number, and Emergency information, in addition to other hardware details like IMEI, IP, Wi-Fi MAC, and Bluetooth address.

This page was previously the first entry in the System menu, but is now its own item in Settings just above Tips & support. This listing happens to also note your device model inline for quicker access.

Meanwhile, About phone has a section for Legal information and Regulatory labels. The February security patch adds a “Safety & regulatory manual” section that is essentially a copy of the printed Safety & Warranty booklet that’s included with devices. This web view includes safety warnings, regulatory information by country, and details related to accessibility.

: January

: February

Last month, Google began rolling out Material Theme tweaks to the System update screen. As of the February security patch, it is widely rolled out with new icons, layout, and organization.

Installation will automatically resume when the device is idle.

There are also a handful of new features, with the installation process taking into account whether your phone is in use, including when you visit the System updates page. If so, the process — including the download — will be paused. Of course, users can manually “Resume” the download.

Once your device is finished installing and optimizing apps, a reboot is required to complete the process. Users now have the option to “Restart after 2:00 AM” instead of doing it right there and then. If this is selected, the restart will take place between 2 and 4 AM. While the reboot associated with an install is identical to regular ones, it is occasionally inconvenient to perform one when prompted by Android.