Google Pixel: May update fixes numerous bugs

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After the large March update in the form of Android 16 QPR3 brought all sorts of bugs, Google is gradually resolving the problems. The April update had not yet captured all the bugs; with the May fix released on Tuesday evening, the company is tackling further bugs.

The update with build number CP1A.260505.005 is available for all devices from the Pixel 7a upwards. The Pixel 6 and the rest of the 7 series are left out. On a Pixel 10 Pro, the software is 65.82 MByte in size. Pixel 10 owners should also note: The update increases the anti-rollback version of the bootloader; after that, older Android 16 builds can no longer be installed.

Slow charging up to 80 percent

From Google's changelog for the update, it is clear that the new software is intended to resolve a problem “where wireless charging progressed slowly under certain conditions when the battery charge was between 75 percent and 80 percent.” This issue became known shortly after the release of the QPR3 version in March, but users reported that this also occurred with wired charging.

Furthermore, the update addresses a problem “where the camera app could freeze during video recording and when adjusting the zoom factor.”

Display and graphics

The May update is also intended to resolve a problem “that under certain conditions caused a persistent flickering white dot or image noise to appear at the top of the display.”

Google also promises that the new software fixes a bug that “could occasionally cause the screen to appear blurry or frozen or display image noise lines.”

Google also claims to have fixed the bug “where the keyboard or input screen could freeze or appear incorrectly positioned in some apps under certain conditions.”

The update also fixes a “critical” security vulnerability (CVE-2026-0073) in the adbd debugging module, which manages command-line adb and IDE debugging sessions. If attackers exploit this, they can execute malicious code remotely, the developers explain in a warning message.

Bootloop error persists

While the update fixes the rather minor Pixel bugs, Google remains reserved regarding the major bootloop error affecting an unknown number of Pixel devices since the March update. According to the issue tracker, the issue has the internal priority status P0. This means it is a problem “that must be fixed immediately and with as many resources as necessary.” At the end of April, however, it was indicated that Google might have found a solution to the issue.

However, impacted users cannot simply install a simple software update on their devices, as it cannot be started normally. In the issue tracker, owners of affected devices are gradually losing patience.

(afl)