Google Pixel phones get second December update with critical fixes for battery and touch problems

Google has started a second update for some Pixel phones in December 2025, weeks after the company released a major December patch containing the latest features and security updates on top of Android 16 QPR2. This second December update is expected to be a minor hotfix that rolls out OTA to Pixel devices in order to address bugs and performance issues experienced by users following the earlier update earlier this month.

The update isn’t as large as the usual December patch (weighing in at only about 25MB) and seems to target just a few select Pixel phones, most notably the Pixel 8, Pixel 9, and Pixel 10 series. The Pixel 8, for example, has been seen receiving an OTA notification to download the update over the air for several owners in the US, with some early signs in the UK as well, at least for US carrier devices like Verizon.

Reasons for another December update

The new second December update from Google is in response to a series of issues reported by Pixel owners after the first December security patch was distributed OTA, based on Android 16.0 QPR2. This particular December release was a notable one for Google, since it added the latest Android security updates (December 2025 Security Bulletin), new features and fixes for over 400 different bugs and issues.

Google hasn’t released the full changelog yet for this follow-up December update, but from early reports and discussion from Pixel owners in community forums, this update from Google so far addresses the following known issues:

Battery drain: Increased battery usage reported on some devices following the December update.

Touch issues: Pixel 10 devices reported a lack of touch input.

Cached content access: Users who updated from older Android devices had issues accessing downloaded content like media or maps.

Pixel phones receiving the update

So far the update seems to be limited to a small number of Pixel phones in December 2025. It is also unclear what regions the update is being pushed to at this time, but early signs suggest that the follow-up update is being distributed first to Pixel devices in the US, especially on carrier models like Verizon. At this time Google hasn’t released a new changelog for this December update either, and hasn’t made new factory images or detailed build numbers for this update available for download yet.

This second December update seems to be rolling out OTA as a stand-alone hotfix rather than replacing the monthly patch from earlier this month. That main update will still be available and is available for other users to update to as well. It’s also not a feature update or a software refresh in and of itself, but more of an after-the-fact quality of life improvement.

Background: Pixel’s December update history

In December 2025, Google also issued its usual December software update for Pixel devices. This December 2025 update was the Android 16.0 QPR2 release with the latest cumulative December 2025 Security Patch Level. This update was a larger than usual software refresh from Google, especially since it was a QPR (Quick Performance and Reliability) update to Android 16 that followed an earlier November QPZ release.

The monthly software update was another of Google’s usual December updates for Pixel phones. It typically contains security patches, optimizations, new features, and Pixel-specific updates or bug fixes.

This second December update may be a small one but it’s still an important signal for Pixel users and Google’s OTA update strategy. Google is taking quick action to respond to community feedback and known issues following a major update. The second December update shows that Google is willing to ship follow-on incremental improvements after feature releases to stabilize the platform on Pixel phones for users and developers. The same will likely apply to future regular monthly software updates going forward in the rest of 2025.