According to Android Police, Google has just released the Android Security Bulletin for December 2025, which details a long list of vulnerabilities affecting all Android devices, not just Pixels. The most severe issue is a critical vulnerability in the Android Framework that could lead to a denial-of-service attack. These vulnerabilities affect devices running Android 13 or later and will be patched in a security update scheduled for December 5. Source code patches will hit the Android Open Source Project repository within 48 hours of the bulletin’s publication. The update won’t address anything for the Google Play Store, and it will arrive on your phone only when your manufacturer pushes it.
The waiting game begins
So here we are again. Google does its part, publishing the bulletin and the patches to AOSP on schedule. But that’s where the certainty ends for most Android users. The real security update, the one that actually lands on your phone, is entirely at the mercy of your device’s manufacturer. And we all know how that story often goes. That December 5 date is basically just when the starting pistol fires for the OEMs. For some phones, it might be weeks. For others, especially older or less popular models, it might be never. It’s the fundamental, frustrating flaw of the Android ecosystem that this bulletin highlights every single month.
Critical means critical
Look, when Google labels something “critical” in the Framework, it’s worth paying attention. A denial-of-service attack that doesn’t need extra privileges is nasty. It could mean an app or webpage freezing or crashing your device’s core services. And the system and kernel-level bugs that allow privilege escalation? Those are the classic paths for deeper, more invasive malware. It’s a serious set of fixes. The inclusion of chipset-specific vulnerabilities for Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Unisoc is also a big deal—it shows the patch chain goes deep into the hardware supply line, which adds another layer of potential delay.
Will it fix my weird bug?
Interestingly, the article mentions Google’s own Pixel phones have been dealing with a bizarre UI bug that reopens recently closed apps. Is there a chance it gets quietly fixed in this security update? Maybe. But Google explicitly says the update doesn’t cover the Play Store, and they tend to silo functional UI fixes in “Pixel Feature Drops” or smaller platform updates. I wouldn’t hold my breath. It’s a good reminder that security updates and stability updates are often on different tracks, even from Google itself.
The context of chaos
Here’s the thing: this security bulletin drops while Google seems to be fighting fires on multiple fronts. The article notes YouTube’s been glitchy with ads and disappearing features, and now Pixels have this UI bug. It paints a picture of a company stretched thin. You have to wonder if the relentless pace of feature additions—like bringing YouTube Music’s Recap to main YouTube—is coming at the cost of core stability and security polish. Releasing a solid, timely security patch is table stakes. But when the basic UI on your flagship phones is acting up, it shakes user confidence in the entire system, patched or not.
