Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will get one more update in 2022

Any owners of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL should be on the lookout for an update next year, though it seems it could be the last.

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL both came out in 2018, with the latest Pixel phones, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, taking the spotlight, and seemingly taking all the updates as well.

The release of the November security patch for Pixel phones came and went, but the Pixel 3 and 3 XL were dropped, which isn’t all too surprising since the original guarantee was that the smartphones would be updated with security fixes until October 2021.

The older smartphones did hit the update period in October, giving the phones a new operating system with Android 12, but there is another update coming, according to Google.

This update should be happening during the first quarter of next year, which was also seen last year with the Pixel 2, which was excluded from the updates in December but got its own final update a few days later.

This time though, it seems that Google is giving itself at least a few months to finalise the last update, so it should provide a better overall experience for users if the company has time to iron out all the bugs.

The October update bought along Material You and Dynamic Colour but didn’t include updates pertaining to applications that require the new Google Assistant.

It’s also been announced that both the Pixel 3a and 3 XL series phones will get guaranteed Android versions and security updates until May of next year, so you may be left in the lurch if you own the standard Pixel 3.

Depending on the timing, this means that those two phones may be eligible for the Android 12L beta program, but it will be dependent on when the final release ends up happening.

If you’re looking to upgrade your Pixel 3, you can check out our reviews for the latest Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones, which went on sale last month and is on sale now.