Pixel users still waiting for January 2022 security patch should try this workaround
Reports came in a little more than two weeks ago that T-Mobile customers with Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 phones had not gotten the January 2022 security patch. Some even remained on the November 2022 upgrade and so far, T-Mobile and Google have remained deafeningly silent. According to one notion, Google was working on adding carrier aggregation functionality to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7. To put it simply, carrier aggregation combines two spectrum channels, resulting in increased bandwidth, larger capacity, and faster speeds.
Customers with eligible devices might benefit from a 20% speed improvement from 5G carrier aggregation using T-2.5GHz Mobile’s mid-band spectrum. T-Mobile achieved a record-breaking download data speed of over 3Gbps in June by using its standalone 5G network (the network’s core was not utilized for 4G initially) and carrier aggregation to join two 2.5GHz channels and 1900MHz airwaves.
As a result, providing carrier aggregation functionality to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 lines is critical. But we don’t know if this is the real reason T-Mobile hasn’t pushed out the current monthly update to Pixel users with the Pixel 6 and 7.
Workaround for the Pixel users awaiting the January 2022 security patch
According to a member of the unofficial T-Mobile subreddit, there is a solution, but it involves the usage of a SIM card from another carrier. Place it in your Pixel if you have one laying around. Restart the phone, connect to Wi-Fi (if there is a Wi-Fi network available), then navigate to Settings > System > System update, then press Check for update.
Another option is to conduct a factory reset while connected to Wi-Fi. According to one customer, his phone was immediately updated. Make a backup of your data first, and then use that backup to restore your Pixel.
Finally, some Pixel users are installing the Android 13 QPR2 Beta 2.1 update to receive the January security patch. If you do this, you must remain in the beta program until the software’s stable version is launched in March (probably on March 6th). If you abandon the program before then, you will have to erase your phone. We don’t mean with wet cloth. Nonetheless, the QPR betas are not nearly as buggy as the main Android betas.
Alternatively, you may just wait until the February update is expected on February 6th and see whether it arrives.