Google traditionally publishes a new Android Security Bulletin on the first Monday of each new month, but given that yesterday was Labor Day in the U.S., the company delayed its announcement until today. The Android Security Bulletin for September 2021 has been made public, and a new security update is rolling out for Pixel phones.

September 2021 Security Update Bulletin

The September 2021 Android Security Bulletin can be viewed here, and it outlines a total of 17 vulnerabilities in the Android Framework and system components and a total of 23 vulnerabilities in the kernel and vendor components. The CVE numbers, type of vulnerability, threat severity, and affected OS version/component are listed in the tables published by Google. The 17 vulnerabilities in the Android Framework and system components have been addressed with the security update to the 2021-09-01 patch level, while the 23 vulnerabilities in the kernel and closed-source vendor components have been addressed with the 2021-09-05 patch level. For more information on how the monthly Android security update process works, we recommend reading our explainer available here.

Pixel Update Bulletin/Functional Update

The September security update with patch level 2021-09-05 is rolling out for the Pixel 3 series, Pixel 3a series, Pixel 4 series, Pixel 4a series, Pixel 5, and Pixel 5a. The Pixel-specific update addresses a few additional vulnerabilities in the kernel, Pixel software, and both open and closed-source Qualcomm components, the details of which can be viewed here.

Here are the build numbers for the latest Pixel security update:

  • Global:
    • Pixel 3 (XL): RQ3A.210905.001
    • Pixel 3a (XL): RQ3A.210905.001
    • Pixel 4 (XL): RQ3A.210905.001
    • Pixel 4a: RQ3A.210905.001
    • Pixel 4a (5G): RQ3A.210905.001
    • Pixel 5: RQ3A.210905.001
  • North America
    • Pixel 5a: RD2A.210905.002
  • Japan
    • Pixel 5a: RD2A.210905.003

Pixel Factory Images ||| Pixel OTA Images

Although it's been three months since the last Pixel Feature Drop, today's update doesn't bring any functional changes. That's because Google will release the Android 12 stable update soon, and that update will be considered the next Pixel Feature Drop. The Release Candidate (RC) build will roll out soon for all supported Pixel phones, and the stable update will follow shortly after.