Pixel 9 users on T-Mobile finally get the January 2025 update

The quality and consistency of Android updates have improved over the years. This is thanks to Google making changes to the frequency of updates, as well as Android OEMs who are also improving on how often updates are released. If you are a Pixel 9 owner on the T-Mobile network, then you will be interested to learn that the January 2025 update is now available for your phone.

Better late than never

Google released the first Android update for 2025 earlier this month. It’s not a particularly huge update. However, it does come with a host of bug fixes that should address various annoyances that some users might encounter on their phones. Google released the update two weeks ago, but Pixel 9 owners on T-Mobile are only receiving it now.

Currently, T-Mobile is rolling out the update to Pixel 9 devices on its network. This is two weeks after Google released the update. The update introduces some performance improvements and bug fixes for Pixel devices. This includes the bug where dark icons turned light.

The bug manifested itself following the December 2024 update, and the January 2025 update addresses it. It’s not a huge deal, but we imagine that it might be quite annoying for some users. Google had previously acknowledged the issue so the company is aware of it.

The January 2025 update also fixes flashing lines on the screen under certain conditions, audio delay, and stability when using specific apps, and issues with the camera’s stability when switching to a connected camera.

The update is available for Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold devices.

Carrier testing

It’s not surprising that the January 2025 update took longer for T-Mobile Pixel 9 users. It is also one of the drawbacks of buying phones directly from a carrier.

If you bought an unlocked Pixel 9 phone, you would get the update the same time Google releases it. However, if you bought it through a carrier like T-Mobile, it requires additional testing. This ensures that the update does not cause any issues with your phone while using it on their network. This includes problems such as dropped calls.

Ultimately, this means that those who have an unlocked version of the phone will inevitably get the update earlier than those locked to a carrier. In this case, the difference was two weeks.

The discrepancy in release times isn’t too big. Still, sometimes it can be annoying. Especially if there are app-breaking bugs or major security vulnerabilities and flaws that need to be patched ASAP. If you’re a Pixel 9 owner on T-Mobile, you can check the update’s availability by going to Settings > System > Software updates > System update to try and pull it manually.

Alternatively, you can manually install it using the OTA images from Google’s website.

The post Pixel 9 users on T-Mobile finally get the January 2025 update appeared first on Android Headlines.