Google isn’t letting the Pixel 4 die just yet
The Pixel 4 was launched back in 2019, which means that it is close to being a four year old phone by now. It also means that in terms of official updates and guaranteed support, it is no longer officially supported by Google.
The handset was initially supposed to get its last update back in October last year, but it seems that Google isn’t quite ready to let the phone go just yet. According to a report from Mishaal Rahman, it appears that a new experimental build for the Pixel 4 is in the works.
The Pixel 4's last guaranteed software update was in October 2022, but there's an official release that brings the December 2022 patches and Android 13 QPR1!
The only catch? It's a developer build: the Privacy Sandbox on Android Developer Preview 7.
H/T Niklas Jeske pic.twitter.com/HeFPwv5cV4
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) February 3, 2023
This update is said to be based on Android 13 QPR1 and is part of Google’s Android Privacy Sandbox program. The update is also expected to include the December 2022 security patch. This is good news for Pixel 4 owners as it means that they might be able to expect one last update.
Keep in mind that these situations do happen. Sometimes a security flaw is discovered that is severe enough where companies will issue fixes for older phones, even if they are no longer supported. While Pixel 4 owners probably shouldn’t expect to see Android 14 on their phones, at least one more update could allow them to stretch its use by a little bit more.
That being said, it is not confirmed that this update will be issued. Google could be testing it out but short of them confirming it, maybe Pixel 4 owners shouldn’t get their hopes up just yet.