December 2019 Android security patch is here (Update: Factory images available)

Update: December 10, 2019 at 4:56 p.m. ET: Pixel 4 users on Reddit are claiming that the December 2019 Android security patch is now rolling out to their devices. If you have a Pixel 4, the update should make its way to your device soon.

If you don’t want to wait for the OTA, the factory images and OTA files are available for download now, but flash or sideload them at your own risk. According to Droid Life, these images may have a naming error.

Google has listed different carriers for builds than what was previously posted. That means the current image site could be wrong, so be careful if you decide to manually push the update. Accidentally pushing the incorrect one could damage your device. We suggest waiting for your carrier to send out the official OTA update instead, just to be safe.

As previously reported, the December 2019 Android security patch for the Pixel 4 includes a fix for static noise in Spotify and in third-party camera apps, support for dark mode in the bootloader, and more.

Original article: December 2 2019 at 1:47 p.m. ET: Google just rolled out the December 2019 Android security patch. If you have a Pixel device, you can check out our list of links below to grab it right now.

This patch will be the final Android update for the original Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL devices. Google technically could have stopped updating those devices in October, but it assembled one final update for them. But this is it: barring any unforeseen circumstances, your OG Pixel device won’t see any more updates.

Although the OG Pixels have the December 2019 Android security patch, for some strange reason Google didn’t push out the patch for the Google Pixel 4 or Pixel 4 XL. It’s possible these updates have been slightly delayed or there could be something else going on. Stay tuned for updates on that anomaly.

Related: Toys and jewels, or why I love the Pixel 4’s design

It should also be noted that Pixel devices won’t be the first to see the December 2019 Android security patch, as certain Samsung devices got it at the end of last week.

You can download the factory images and OTA files at the links below. You can then either flash a fresh build or sideload the OTA file. If you’d rather take the normal route, go to Settings > System > Advanced > System update and wait for the OTA notification to arrive.

• Pixel 4 XL: Factory Image, OTA
  • AT&T only: Factory Image, OTA
  • SoftBank, TW carriers only: Factory Image, OTA
• Pixel 4: Factory Image, OTA
  • AT&T only: Factory Image, OTA
  • SoftBank, TW carriers only: Factory Image, OTA
• Pixel 3a XL: Factory Image, OTA
• Pixel 3a: Factory Image, OTA
• Pixel 3 XL: Factory Image, OTA
• Pixel 3: Factory Image, OTA
• Pixel 2 XL: Factory Image, OTA
• Pixel 2: Factory Image, OTA
• Pixel XL: Factory Image, OTA
• Pixel: Factory Image, OTA

If you are running the December 2019 Android security patch, let us know if there are any issues in the comments below.