Most monthly updates for Pixels deliver at least a couple of fixes for specific issues, but the recent Android 13 update has pulled out all of the stops, delivering somewhere around 150 bug fixes, according to my hasty counting. These tweaks cover a range from exceedingly minor corner-case app-level adjustments ("Fix for issue in Phone app causing some text to appear invisible while managing blocked numbers in dark mode"), to more potentially noticeable improvements in fingerprint sensor and networking performance on the Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a.

I can't, in good faith, include the full list of the Android 13 bug fixes (there are just too damn many of them!), but I've cut out a handful of highlights that caught my eye:

Battery & Charging

  • Fix to improve thermal mitigation handling in certain conditions and scenarios (Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a)
  • General improvements for idle power consumption under certain conditions
  • Fix for issue preventing wireless charging with Pixel Stand or other accessories in certain conditions (Pixel 4, 4 XL, 5, 6, and 6 Pro)

Biometrics

  • Fix for issue where fingerprint would intermittently stop working in certain conditions (Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a)
  • Fix to improve fingerprint haptics latency and response during unlock (Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a)
  • General improvements for fingerprint performance, stability and reliability (Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a)
  • General improvements for fingerprint unlock in different lighting conditions (Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a)
  • General usability improvements for fingerprint enrollment (Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a)

Bluetooth

  • Fix for streaming info to display properly on Car screen when connected through Bluetooth

Camera

  • Fix for issue causing greyed out shutter button while adjusting zoom level in certain conditions (Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 6a) [Editor's note: I've run into this one a few times.]

Display & Graphics

  • Fix for issue causing display to flicker while unlocking with fingerprint in certain conditions (Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 6a)
  • Fix for issues causing screen flicker under certain conditions

Framework

  • Fix for issue causing app installation from Play store to fail in certain conditions
  • Fix for Settings app crash when opening Passwords & accounts in certain conditions

Location & GPS

  • Improvements for GPS stability and location accuracy in certain conditions (Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 6a) [Editor's note: Noticed issues GPS issues with the Pixel 6a, hope this fixes them]

NFC

  • Add support for NFC payments in secondary profiles

Sensors

  • Add option to toggle haptic feedback for touch interaction while silent mode is active
  • Fix for issue causing screen to stay off after a phone call ends
  • General improvements for adaptive brightness response in certain conditions (Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a)
  • Improvements for haptic feedback strength and response in certain conditions (Pixel 6a)

System

  • Fix for issue occasionally preventing Android Auto to connect over USB in certain conditions (Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a)
  • Fix for issue occasionally preventing device to charge over USB with certain third-party cables or adapters (Pixel 6a)
  • Fix for issue occasionally preventing OTA update from installing on device
  • General improvements for device performance in certain conditions and scenarios
  • General improvements for system stability and performance in certain conditions

Google's recent Pixels have been known for their middling fingerprint sensor performance and connectivity-related problems ranging from cellular signal strength issues to dropped calls and all sorts of odd behaviors. Google's changelog here makes it sound like the company is still trying to address some of these complaints to improve the experience, as these issues can be pretty frustrating to deal with. But even relatively minor fixes covering corner cases that almost never crop up appear to be both documented and addressed, too.

The statement at the beginning of the changelog implies that these are fixes since the last Android 12-based update, but at least a couple of these, like the Settings app crashing when opening "password & accounts," were tied to betas, so the list may be plumped out somewhat with beta-specific changes that Google didn't explicitly note as such — and which therefore address issues most customers never experienced. We've reached out to Google for more information on that, and we'll let you know what we find out.

For a company with a reputation for buggy and frequently broken software, this both reinforces that image (look at the sheer number of bugs!) and shows how hard the company is working to address it (that's a lot of fixes!)

In the meantime, those of you considering waiting before installing the Android 13 update have a decent incentive to pick it up early — this is a huge list of tweaks, fixes, and improvements.