The Google Pixel 4a just scored an unexpected update

What you need to know

• Google Pixel 4a from 2020 got a new November 2023 security update.
• The device running on Android 13 received its last update in August 2023.
• The latest update has been listed on the Google Play Services OTA files page.

The three-year-old Pixel 4a phone is in for a surprise update from Google this month. The search giant had recently rolled out a November 2023 update for its Android 14-powered Pixel phones, which includes the Pixel 4a 5G and newer. However, the company surprisingly released a security update to the non-5G Pixel 4a phone.

Before you wonder whether it’s an Android 14-based update, let’s be clear: it is not. The device was not included in the Android 14 supported devices list as it reached the end of the line for promised updates earlier this year. While we anticipated the August 2023 update (Android 13-based) to be the last update to the Pixel 4a, it looks like Google surprisingly released a new November 2023 update, which was spotted by some Reddit users. The update goes with the TQ3A.230805.001.S1 version number.

Google’s November 2023 update was primarily for newer Pixel phones and is the first official update for the Pixel 8 series after their launch with Android 14 in October. The search giant skipped mentioning the update to the Pixel 4a in its Pixel Community post, which is understandable because it is a mere security patch without any noticeable upgrades.