June Feature Drop appears to cure most of what ailed Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro units
Yes, there was disappointment in parts of Pixel land yesterday after the Quarterly Feature Drop was released by Google. The rumored Face unlock was a no-show and the features that were dropped were pretty much duds for the most part or had previously been announced. But included with yesterday's update were some very important bug fixes that might make Pixel 6 series owners feel better about their phones.
Most Pixel 6 series users saw a marked improvement with their phones after installing the latest Feature Drop
The problems bedeviling Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro users have included cellular connectivity issues that were disconnecting Pixel users from their wireless providers. The laggy under-display fingerprint scanner has been another issue that marred users' enjoyment of their new handsets. And battery drain was also aggravating users who had hoped that the battery capacities of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, 4614mAh and 5003mAh respectively, would be enough to last a full day even powering 5G and a 90Hz-120Hz screen refresh rate.
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Reddit users are weighing in on the improvements they've noticed on their Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro since installing the update. One redditor with the user name salcin96 wrote, "I work in an area, where cellular connection is pretty borderline. But today, after the June update, my connection is more stable and network battery drain is under 5%. Looks promising!"
Others reported that their Pixels were no longer running hot to the touch following the installation of the update. Speaking of installing the June Quarterly Feature Drop (which included the monthly functional updates and the latest security patch), many Pixel 6 series units have yet to receive it. For example, yours truly has not been able to install the update yet and several others on Reddit posted that the update has yet to be made available on their phone.
Not all Pixel users have received the June Feature Drop yet
And not everyone who installed the update has a happy story to share. A Reddit user with the handle ah208 writes, "Updated my Pixel 6 this morning. Battery drain appears to be the same, but keeps dropping signal when indoors (same as December update, keeps not finding signal)."
One Pixel 6 user had the kind of experience that others fear will happen to them. This Reddit user with the handle fluxxis posted, "Never had an issue before. Got the update this morning, recharged at noon and three hours later I'm down to 55% battery although I didn't use the phone at all. I'm scared. I'll give it a day because who knows which jobs are running after the update, but if these problems persist I'm done with my Pixel 6 once and for all."
For the vast majority of Pixel 6 series users though, the update seems to deliver as promised. To check to see if you have received it, go to Settings > System > System update. Follow the prompt asking you to tap the blue button on the lower right portion of the display to start the updating process.
A few days ago we told you the story about someone who purchased what he thought was the Pixel 6 Pro via Facebook. It turned out that the device was actually a Pixel 7 Pro prototype and the buyer was able to use the phone for three weeks before Google figured things out and wiped the device.
This is what Google should do to reward those who stuck with their Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro through thick and thin
Now here's the rub as that great smartphone analyst William S. might have said. The gentleman who had use of the Pixel 7 Pro for three weeks mentioned nothing about Face unlock being on the device. While we do have to consider the fact that the phone he used was a prototype, is Google going to make the same mistake again and ship the device sans Face unlock?
Google should reward those who stuck with the Pixel 6 Pro, at right, and are willing to give the Pixel 7 Pro a chance
Also, for now, we'd like to leave this idea hanging for Google to consider. With the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro on the way, perhaps Google should consider rewarding those Pixel 6 series users who put up with all of the delayed updates, who suffered all of the times that they tried to unlock their device using their fingerprints but could not do it, and lost cellular connectivity when they needed the phone the most.
Even if Monday's update got rid of some of these issues, Google needs to reward those who stuck with the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro by offering a special Pixel 7 series trade-in package for those who bought the Pixel 6 line and didn't get a full year of Google's best, which is what they paid for. We have no illusions that Google will listen, but it would be a superb gesture on Google's part.
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