This week, on our weekly firmware news roundup: Xiaomi makes the horrible mistake of pushing an Android 11 update that makes Mi A3 devices unusable then pulls it back and apologizes for it. January's security patch is also being delivered to numerous devices.
Wanna learn more? Take a look down below!
What's New This Week?
OnePlus
- OnePlus 8T's video playback problem is now sorted
- Google's January update is here for all supported Pixels
Xiaomi
- Xiaomi once again halts Android 11 for some Mi A3 device
Asus
- ZenFone 6 is now receiving the latest version of Android
Samsung
- January security patch now rolling out to multiple Samsung devices
- Galaxy S10 is now receiving One UI 3.0
OnePlus
OnePlus 8T
Great news for OnePlus 8T owners. We understand that some of you may have been experiencing video playback issues after the last update – but a hotfix is now here to fix that!
India is the first to get it but both Europe and the U.S will soon follow. And it's not just about the video playback. The official changelog is as follows:
- System
- Optimized the experience of full-screen gestures
- Increased fingerprint unlock success rates for faster unlock speed
- Newly added keyboard height adjustment where you can raise or hide the bottom shortcut bar for a better input experience (Go to Settings-System-Language & input-Keyboard height adjustment)
- Fixed the issue that the media player may pause abnormally
- Updated Android security patch to 2020.11
- Camera
- Optimized the image quality on nightscape
- Gallery
- Fixed a small probability issue that photos don't display in the Gallery
- Network
- Fixed the issue that the WiFi connection failed in a specific situation
- Improved the stability of communication
- OnePlus Store (---IN only)
- An intuitive and convenient way to manage your OnePlus account, get easy-to-access support, discover exciting members-only benefits, and shop for OnePlus products. (Please note that it can be uninstalled)
Chances are that this is another incremental update – which means that it may take some time before everyone gets it. But, then again, as a hotfix, it should be reaching people much faster compared to a major Android update.
Supported Pixel Devices
January's security patch is here for Google Pixel devices. Other than that, you are also getting a few other fixes. As the changelog says:
- Further tuning and improvements for volume level of system sounds (Pixel 5)
- Auto brightness response in certain lighting conditions (Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, and 5)
- Further improvements to auto-rotation response in certain device orientations (Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, and 5)
- Fixed: Intermittent app restarts for certain apps in all Pixels
- Fixed: Bug preventing calls on certain NVMO networks
As per usual, this is another incremental update. So, it may take a while before all of you get it.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi MI A3
Xiaomi has already cancelled the Android 11 update for the Mi A3 quite a few times already. And now it does it once more with an official announcement.
To quote Xiaomi:
"Hello Mi Fans,
We are aware of the issue on some Mi A3 devices following a recent Android 11 update. We have since halted the rollout.
We kindly request users who experience this issue to visit (or mail your device to) any of our service centers where a solution will be provided for free unconditionally (within or beyond warranty).
We regret the inconvenience this has brought about. As a brand committed to offering the best possible user experience, we will continuously improve our products and services.
Thank you for your understanding and support."
We'll be waiting for further updates. So, stay tuned!
Asus
ZenFone 6
The Asus ZenFone 6 started receiving the latest version of Android about a week ago. But that was only for Taiwan. Thankfully, the update is now here for the global variants as well!
The update includes:
- A newer security patch
- Google's gesture-based navigational system
- Improvements to privacy options
- UI changes
- And more
Do keep in mind that this is most likely an incremental update. It may take a while before everyone gets their turn.
Samsung
January Security Patch
Samsung is consistently the first manufacturer that pushes monthly security updates – and this month isn't any different. Multiple devices are now receiving the latest Android security patch, including:
- Samsung Galaxy A50
- Galaxy S10, Note 20, and S20 FE
- S20 Series
- And S9 Series
These updates don't seem to be including any new features or major bug fixes. And at 113 megabytes, we expect that we won't find anything hidden under the hood.
As for availability, the updates are available for different regions anywhere from the U.S to Europe and other locations, depending on your phone. But we assume that you'll soon find them everywhere. Just don't forget that this is another incremental rollout – which means that it can take a few days up to maybe even weeks before everyone gets their turn.
According to our sources, this patch introduces a few critical fixes – such as the memory corruption exploit that has been around since mid-2017! So, if you get the notification that informs you about a new security patch, you probably shouldn't ignore it.
Galaxy S10
Most Samsung flagships have already received the latest version of Android along with One UI 3.0. So, it's no surprise that the Galaxy S10 is now getting its turn as well!
To be more specific, the update is currently being delivered to Switzerland for the S10e and the S10 5G in Switzerland. But tit shouldn't take too long before the update becomes available for the rest of the S10 series and in other regions as well!
The update includes everything that you can expect to get from One UI 3.0 and Android 11. Things like:
- Improved battery life
- UI overhaul
- Improvements to Samsung apps like Samsung Keyboard
- Built-in Video Enhancer
- Numerous minor improvements and additions (Double tap to turn screen off, different volume sliders, etc)
- And more
Wrapping Up
These are our top firmware news for this week. More on the next Friday!
Feel like we forgot to mention something important? Got anything wrong? then let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!
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