So far, Google’s Pixel phones have earned a solid reputation for being riddled with bugs. These errors can be annoying especially when they affect your daily use and make your phone difficult to use. At the same time, those who threaten the security of the phone are really critical.

Unsplash, owner of Google Pixel named David Schütz discovered such a dangerous vulnerability in his phone somewhere in mid-2022. The bug allowed anyone with a new SIM card to unlock a Pixel phone without much technical knowledge. All they have to do is remove the old SIM card, insert a new one, enter the wrong PIN three times for the phone to ask for the PUK code, and that’s it.

That is, the lock screen has a fingerprint reader, PIN, etc. all biometric security features have been completely thrown out the window. Discovering this dangerous bug, Schütz immediately reported it to the Android Vulnerability Reward Program. Regardless, with the recently released November security patch (for the first time since the release of Pixel 7) the issue has finally been resolved. Fortunately, all models starting with the Pixel 4a and above get it.

Other bug fixes in the November 2022 update include fixes for increased battery consumption on the Pixel 6 line, blinking green screen on Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, and overall screen power consumption.

However, there are many more things that need to be fixed and we expect Google to fully address them with subsequent updates in the near future. In December, Google will release a more substantial Feature Downgrade update that should include some notable tweaks, new features, and improvements like Clear Calling and some Google Assistant features.