So far, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro's software update cycle has been a rollercoaster ride - either they have never gotten a monthly security patch on time with earlier Pixels, or upgrades have broken more things than they have mended. With the February 2022 release, the phones received their first monthly security patch on schedule. Unfortunately, with the Android 12L-based March 2022 Feature Drop, things were back to square one, since all prior generation Pixel phones, with the exception of the Pixel 6 series, received the update on schedule. Now, if the OS upgrade timeline released by Canadian carrier Fido is any indication, the March Feature Drop for the Pixel 6 series should arrive on Monday, March 21.
The business normally releases new upgrades for its Pixel phones on the first Monday of each month or the following Mondays after that, so Fido's assertion of a March 21 release date appears to be accurate. Beginning March 7, the March 2022 Feature Drop began rolling out to Pixel 3a through Pixel 5a. When we approached Google about the missing Pixel 6 releases back then, it said they needed some extra bug fixes and certification, which caused the distribution to be delayed.
Aside from fixing a slew of bugs and issues, including some Wi-Fi disconnection issues, the March 2022 update will bring several new features to the Pixel 6 series, including a new battery widget, enhancements to At a Glance, support for three new languages in Assistant Quick phrases, and Live Caption for Calls. Some of the upgrades, though, are not connected to the release and have already begun to make their way to the Pixel 6 series. This includes custom Gboard stickers and Night Sight compatibility in Snapchat, the latter of which is enabled for certain users by a new Pixel Camera Services update.
Let's hope that following the March 2022 Feature Drop, Google will be able to begin handing out security fixes for the Pixel 6 series on a regular basis without introducing any new issues or damaging anything.
