The Pixel 6 might've won the hearts of many writers here at Android Police — not to mention our oh-so-coveted phone of the year award — but it's had a couple of rough months. After a buggy launch and a software delay, the December patch arrived last month with a ton of fixes in tow. Unfortunately, it also broke cell reception on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, leading to reduced signal strength for users around the globe before Google finally pulled the plug. If you've been patiently waiting for a January update to iron out these issues, Google finally has an update ready for you.

The company posted OTA images for both phones to its developer site on Friday afternoon, hours after Canadian carrier Fido initially hinted at a release scheduled for early next week.

This update brings all the changes initially promised with the December release to Google's latest phones, along with the improvements brought to older devices earlier this month. In addition to Pixel 6-specific bug fixes, it should include a patch for the Teams-related 911 glitch and the reintroduction of Cast volume controls. While the cell signal issues have been a major thorn in the side of Pixel 6 owners everywhere, it's important not to overlook the importance of the December update finally being available again. That particular patch included more than 100 changes and improvements, all of which should provide a much more stable experience.

Google has been under a lot of pressure to get this patch to users — and, even more importantly, to get it right. Even by the standards of a Pixel launch, this latest release is buggy, and it's been bad enough to scare some prominent users off altogether. Just this week, YouTuber MKBHD made it clear on Twitter he was returning to an S21 until his next review. That's a bad look for Google, especially coming from someone with a following of his size.

With any luck, this patch should bring an end to all the headaches associated with this phone. You can grab the OTA files or the full factory images from Google's respective websites.

UPDATE: 2022/01/14 15:15 EST BY WILL SATTELBERG

OTA files now live

Google published the OTA and factory image files for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro's January update on Friday afternoon. We've updated our coverage.