Google has released the November update for its Pixels — which the Pixel 6 series got a bit early last week. Changes included in that update are finally documented, though, including a few specific fixes for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Unfortunately for Pixel 3 owners, that phone has just reached end of life, and though Google tells us a final wrap-up update is planned for next year, it isn't included in this month's updates.

It's been a while since Google released a monthly update that includes functional patches. Our questions regarding that omission over the last few months were ignored by the company, but this month we have 11 changes — more than we usually get.

Highlighted improvements for all currently supported Pixels include a fix for notification sounds, third-party app stability, and broken app icons. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro also see improved Bluetooth audio quality in "certain scenarios," better wireless charging in "certain orientations," better automatic brightness, and fixes for both Wi-Fi connection stability and PiP media playback in certain apps.

Unfortunately for Pixel 3 and 3 XL owners, "currently supported Pixels" is now a phrase that doesn't include them. Google promised updates until October 2021, and here we are. The two phones, released in 2018, are not included in this month's updates. Google told us previously that they will get a final "sunset" update in early Q1 2022, though. Last year the Pixel 2 and 2 XL had a similar arrangement, where they missed a month but received a last bug-fix update later.

Though we thought this update might include something new for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, turns out it's the same build that was discussed last week, though the published list of actual changes wasn't disclosed at that time. OTA images are available for manual installation on the Pixel 6 series as well as the rest of the Pixel lineup. This month Verizon and its related MVNOs have their own build, as do some carriers in other countries.

UPDATE: 2021/11/01 14:39 EST BY RYNE HAGER

Same update the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro got last week.

The build numbers for this release match the out-of-the-box update for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro last week (explaining why we didn't see the update on our own devices). However, the functional patch notes now describe the changes in that update, and it is now rolling out to older Pixel devices as well.

Our coverage has been updated.