Google Issues Emergency Update for Millions Amid Smartphone Warning

Earlier this month Google confirmed Android was under attack as the company rushed out fixes for two different issues “that could lead to remote denial of service with no additional execution privileges needed.” Manufacturers will receive new source code “within 48 hours.”

The company claimed there were “indications” that CVE-2025-48633 and CVE-2025-48572 “may be under limited, targeted exploitation" according to Forbes. Just two weeks later, Google is back with another emergency update.

Google Suddenly Sends Emergency Update

Android Authority initially revealed Google was dolling out a new emergency update for Pixel users, saying, “don’t look now, but your Pixel may be getting a surprise update.” This is a “new, smaller, second update,” and Google “has yet to reveal what the update addresses, but it’s likely to contain a critical fix.”

The fix was initially flagged on Reddit with the change being spotted on Pixel 8, 9 and 10 model, with Android Authority confirming the update on the Pixel 10 Pro.

Google's Sudden Update Comes Amid Spyware Threats

Google's initial update in December was followed by Apple doing an update for one billion phones around the world as spyware threats ratcheted up. Forbes believes the latest update from Google is "good news" for Pixel users as "Google’s rapid action to defend users against new spyware threats must be commended."

Forbes revealed the update comes with "attacks underway" and "warnings that exploits are likely to expand beyond highly targeted individuals, it’s now always critical to update phones as soon as you can."

Millions of smartphone users - across both iPhone and Android - were urged to update their phones earlier this month stating “the complete shutdown of the device stops all processes and removes all software residing only in memory, such as a memory-based, non-persistent spyware.”

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