MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.,February 3,2026 – Google Pixel updates are no longer predictably arriving on the first Monday of each month,a shift the company made in October 2023 to prioritize flexibility and deliver updates when they’re genuinely polished.
A Moving Target for Pixel Updates
Pixel owners, brace yourselves: the days of set-in-stone update schedules are over.
- Google transitioned away from the first-Monday release schedule in October 2023.
- Updates now typically arrive on Tuesdays or Wednesdays,but timing remains unpredictable.
- Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 owners are now receiving updates on a quarterly basis.
- Pixel 8 through Pixel 10 series will continue to receive monthly updates.
For those who’ve been diligently tracking Pixel update cycles, or perhaps rejoined the Pixel ecosystem after stints with Samsung or Apple, knowing when to expect those software improvements can feel like a guessing game. Google quietly changed its approach, opting for a more fluid schedule. While updates frequently enough land on the first or second Wednesday of the month, there are no guarantees.
What’s the best time to check for a Pixel update? Google no longer provides a definitive answer, and the timing can vary month to month.
In January, the company further demonstrated its willingness to deviate from any perceived pattern, releasing the January patch on the 2nd Monday. This underscored Google’s commitment to releasing updates when they’re ready,rather than adhering to a rigid calendar.
Looking back, Google issued the december update on December 2 (a 1st Tuesday), the November update on November 11 (a 2nd Tuesday), the October update on October 8 (a 2nd Wednesday), the September update on September 3 (a 1st Wednesday), the August update on August 5 (a 1st Tuesday), and July’s update on July 8 (another 2nd Tuesday).
Though, the update cadence isn’t uniform across all Pixel devices. Owners of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series are now experiencing a shift to quarterly updates,a change Google hasn’t publicly acknowledged but is demonstrably in effect. For those with newer Pixel 8, 9, or 10 devices, monthly updates are still anticipated.
Why did Google change its update schedule? The company shifted to a more flexible approach in October 2023 to prioritize the quality and stability of updates.Previously,adhering to a strict monthly schedule sometimes meant releasing updates before they were fully tested. Who is affected? The change impacts all Pixel owners,though the frequency of updates varies. Pixel 6 and 7 owners now receive quarterly updates, while Pixel 8, 9, and 10 owners continue to receive monthly updates. How did it end? The previous system of predictable, first-monday-of-the-month updates ended in October 2023, replaced by a more fluid schedule steadfast by Google’s internal testing and quality assurance processes. The shift is ongoing, with no announced return to a fixed schedule.
