Google skips Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 with its August security patch

Google released the monthly update for its Pixel phones on August 4. The official announcement in the Pixel forum lists 13 devices, and that list starts at the Pixel 8. Six older models are missing: the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 7a. Six days on, nothing has changed.

The same post says that all supported Pixel devices running Android 17 will receive the update. That is where it falls apart. Google's own support page still lists the six models under five years of OS and security updates. They do not appear among the devices that no longer get anything, a list that stops at the Pixel 5a. And Android 17 has been running on the Pixel 6 since June.

What the update contains

The patch carries build number CP2A.260805.005 and raises the security patch level to August 5, 2026. Among the fixes is CVE-2026-0163, an elevation of privilege flaw in the video processing unit, the part of the chip that handles video. Elevation of privilege means software gains more permissions than it should have. Google rates the severity as high. Anyone using one of the six devices stays on the July build, CP2A.260705.006.

The pattern is not new. The February update skipped the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 as well, and so did the May one. Only the Pixel 7a made both. June and July brought something for everyone. There is no recognisable schedule, and Google has not named one.

What Google says

Droid Life has been asking since October 2025 and has not received a straight answer about the cadence. Google points out that Pixel phones stay protected throughout their support window through Pixel patches, Google Play system updates and fixes from the Android Security Bulletin. A monthly update is in fact promised nowhere in Google's documentation. Only the number of years is.

How much time these phones have left

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro reach the end of their window in October 2026. Google extended support from three years to five back then. The Pixel 6a runs until July 2027, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro until October 2027, and the Pixel 7a until May 2028. That leaves the Pixel 7 line more than a year in which monthly patches should be a given.

To check where your phone stands, open Settings, then System and Software update. If it shows July 5, 2026, the August patch is missing. Some Android fixes still reach the device through Google Play system updates without new firmware. Pixel specific fixes such as CVE-2026-0163 do not. For now there is little to do beyond keeping Play system updates current and waiting to see whether Google follows up.