Google's January 2025 update finally arrives for T-Mobile Pixel 9 users

Summary

• T-Mobile Pixel 9 users are finally receiving the January 2025 update, two weeks after its initial release on unlocked devices. This delay is due to carrier testing for network stability.
• The update specifically addresses a bug introduced in the December 2024 Pixel Feature Drop that caused dark mode icons to appear lighter than intended, restoring the correct dark theme.
• In addition to the icon fix, the update includes other bug fixes and performance improvements for audio, camera, and display, as well as important security patches.

It's a reality that carriers take longer to release Android updates due to thorough testing for stability, essentially ensuring that the update doesn't break its network with issues like dropped calls and app incompatibility. Inevitably, this causes a disparity between update timelines for unlocked devices and carrier-locked ones.

For reference, Google's first update for 2025 started landing exactly two weeks ago, promising several audio, camera, display, and UI-related bug fixes and improvements for Pixel users. However, as is the case with said updates and security patches, carrier-specific versions have taken a bit longer to arrive, with some users just now receiving the update.

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January's update has started landing on Pixel 9 devices on T-Mobile's network, bringing performance improvements and bug fixes for Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold devices. Most importantly though, it finally allows those stuck with the previously-bugged themed icons to regain control of their home screen.

For those unaware, with the December 2024 Pixel Feature Drop, Google inadvertently introduced a bug that turned dark icons light. Although this merely swapped the theme preference for users, and fixing it was as easy as switching to a different accent color combination and then reverting, eagle-eyed users were quick to notice that there was more than what initially met the eye.

Even with the dark mode icons correctly selected, the icons appeared a shade lighter than before. After installing January's update, we quickly realized that this wasn't the intended behavior, with the tech giant explicitly stating that it addressed an "issue with Pixel launcher themed icon color display in certain conditions."

What’s included

The January 2025 update includes bug fixes and improvements for Pixel users – see below for details

Audio

Fix for audio delay and stability issue when using certain apps*[1]

Camera

Fix for issue with camera stability when switching to a connected camera under certain conditions*[2]

Display & Graphics

Fix for issue with flashing lines on screen in certain conditions*[2]

User Interface

Fix for issue with Pixel launcher themed icon color display in certain conditions*[1]

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Device Applicability

Fixes are available for all supported Pixel devices unless otherwise indicated below. Some fixes may be carrier/region specific.

*[1] Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet, Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro Fold

*[2] Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Elsewhere, apart from bug fixes and performance improvements, T-Mobile users should now also be safeguarded against Pixel-specific and upstream Android vulnerabilities, including five Android System-level critical vulnerabilities, and a Pixel-specific one.

T-Mobile users with Pixel 9 series devices can navigate to Settings → System → Software updates → System update to check if the update has landed. Alternatively, advanced users can also opt for manual installation with the available OTA images.

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