RIP Pixel 2 — Google rolls out its final update for the phone

The Pixel 2 lived a long, complicated life.

What you need to know

• Google is now rolling out its December 2020 security patch for Android.
• As per usual, it contains an assortment of bug/vulnerability fixes.
• This also marks the final update Google is releasing for the Pixel 2.

We finally did it — we almost made it through 2020. There’s just one more month left to go, and to kick things off, we have yet another security patch from Google.

The December 2020 patch began rolling out on December 7 alongside a new Pixel Feature Drop, and as far as security patches go, it’s pretty basic. There’s an assortment of framework, media framework, system, and other bug fixes across the board, ensuring your Android device is running as smoothly and securely as possible.

Pixels are first-in-line to get the new patch, though Verizon models will have to wait a bit longer. If you have a Pixel 3/3XL, 4a 5G, or Pixel 5, the patch won’t hit your device until the week of December 14. Yay for carrier models!

Something else that’s worth noting is that this marks the final update Google is rolling out for the Pixel 2. The phone wasn’t updated at all last month, but today it’s going to start receiving the delayed November 2020 patch. If you still have a Pixel 2 and download that November patch, that’ll be the final update you get from Google.

The Pixel 2 certainly stands out as one of the more controversial Pixel releases for Google, largely due to the many display issues around the Pixel 2 XL. While a lot of people remember the phone for its faults, the Pixel 2 is also where we were introduced to features like Now Playing, Active Edge, and an always-on display.

We’ve since moved on to bigger and better Pixels, but it is a bit sad to finally close the book on the Pixel 2. It was a long and complicated road, but it’s one a lot of us surely won’t forget any time soon. RIP, old friend ?.