Right here is a few excellent news for homeowners of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Professional. The 2 telephones launched in 2021 with three years of help which ended with the discharge of Android 15 final month. Or did it? In keeping with Google’s personal help documentation, the Pixel 6a, which was launched 9 months after the Pixel 6 line grew to become obtainable, will proceed to obtain Android updates by way of July 2025. Since Android 16 is anticipated to be launched in Q2 of 2025, it may be assumed that the mid-range Pixel 6a will obtain the Android 16 replace.
The Pixel 6a runs on the identical first-generation Tensor software processor (AP) because the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Professional do. In consequence, the work Google wants to complete to be able to spruce up the chipset for Android 16 will should be finished for the Pixel 6a anyway. Google would possibly as properly permit all that onerous work to repay for Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Professional customers a lot of who already really feel that Google owes them due to some dangerous selections made for the Pixel 6 line comparable to:
- Utilizing a very horrible Shannon A5123 modem that always left Pixel 6 collection customers with out connectivity forcing them to hook up with others by way of smoke indicators. This was changed the subsequent 12 months with the a lot improved Samsung Exynos Modem 5300.
- The optical fingerprint sensor below the show was as dangerous because the modem. Google went with low cost and eventually corrected this with the optical fingerprint sensor used with the Pixel 9 line.
- No facial recognition biometric reader which pressured customers to make use of the optical fingerprint reader (see above). A safe facial recognition system has been discovered on any Pixel mannequin for the reason that Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL.
Right here is the proof that Pixel 6 collection homeowners is likely to be getting some additional Android help time. As we instructed you earlier immediately, the Pixel 6 collection is eligible to be up to date to the Android 16 Developer Preview by way of system photos which requires you to flash your system. You are higher off ready for the OTA replace to return. With this information, it will be very odd if the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Professional did not obtain Android 16 subsequent 12 months.
The schedule for Android 16 performs out like this:
- At the moment-Android 16 Developer Preview 1
- December 2024-Android 16 Developer Preview 2
- January 2025-Android 16 Beta 1
- February 2025-Android 16 Beta 2
- March 2025-Android 16 Beta 3
- April 2025-Android 16 Beta 4
- Second Quarter 2025-Android 16 secure model
Extra importantly, for these of you who have been able to say adios to your Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Professional, you continue to would possibly get one other 12 months of help. Mishaal Rahman, the neatest man in any room, says that he sees Google squeezing out Android 17 for the Pixel 6 line. Hopefully, he is proper. Even when your older every day driver is now on the sidelines, nobody likes to see any of their telephones lose help.