Last month, Google rolled out the Android 17 QPR1 stable update alongside the September 2026 Pixel Drop. Now, the October 2026 Pixel update is going live with bug fixes and it is an important one for Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro owners.
Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro Reach End of Life Support
The Google Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro launched way back in October 2021. Both phones were promised five years of security updates, that is till October 2026. Google had already left the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro out of the Android 17 QPR2 beta update.
The Android 17 QPR1 update, which arrived last month, was the final feature update for both phones. With the October 2026 update now out, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have officially reached the end of life support.
That said, if you still own a Pixel 6, it won't stop working. The phone will just stop receiving further security patches from Google. This means that if you rely on your Pixel 6 for banking or work, it might be a good time to think about upgrading.
Newer Pixel phones like the Google Pixel 11 and the Pixel 11 Pro come with seven years of software support. So, it might be a good time to switch to those.
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What Else Is New with the October 2026 Pixel Update?
Apart from the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro reaching EOL, Google's October 2026 update fixes three key bugs:
- Keyboard: Fixes an issue where the on-screen keyboard sometimes didn't appear when tapping on search fields. This affects the Pixel 8, 9, 10, and 11 series.
- Audio: Fixes an issue that sometimes caused noise or distortion in the ringtone during certain VoIP calls, such as WhatsApp calls. This affects the Pixel 8, 9, and 10 series.
- Camera: Fixes an issue where photos and videos are sometimes saved in the wrong orientation. This affects only the Pixel 11 series.
That said, to download and install the new October 2026 Pixel update, head over to Settings -> System -> Software updates -> System update.
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