Google has issued a warning to Android phone owners, urging them to dive into the settings of their devices and pull down the latest free software update to install immediately. The tech giant sent out the concerning directive along with the June 2024 update for its Pixel-branded devices, which it’s said will fix “security vulnerabilities” and add “functional improvements” to all supported Google Pixel smartphones.

It’s important you check your device settings as soon as possible and see if there’s a software update waiting to download. Google has highlighted that the update fixes 50 security issues with Pixel phones, including seven it rates as “critical”.

One has even been slapped with the “zero-day” rating, which means it’s a bug that hackers have been able to successfully take advantage of already – so not downloading this free update leaves your phone and its data at risk of prying eyes.

“All supported Google devices will receive an update to the 2024-06-05 patch level,” Google said in its update note. “We encourage all customers to accept these updates to their devices.

“There are indications that CVE-2024-32896 may be under limited, targeted exploitation,” the company added, referring to the official name of the bug.

Google is onto the eighth generation of its Pixel phones, with the Pixel 8a, Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro all eligible to receive this June 2024 security update. The other Pixel models that can also get it are the Pixel 7a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel Fold.

If you have an older Pixel in your pocket you may want to consider upgrading. Pixel 5 and older devices no longer receive official security updates from Google, which leaves you at risk – albeit an unlikely one – of falling victim to hacks that exploit these bugs that crop up in the Android operating system.

You can find out if you have a software update to download by going to the Settings app on your Pixel (this is also true on any Android device). From there you can tap System and then System update, and you may well find a new slice of software waiting to be installed.

Google has begun to promise a whopping seven years of software and security updates for the Pixel phones, which applies to all the recent Pixel 8 series. That’s an industry-best promise, even beating Apple’s official five years of support.

It means a Pixel 8 is a good choice if you want an Android phone for several years with rock solid security – many Android devices get much shorter support time, leaving you with a technically unsafe bit of kit after only two or three years. Always check the manufacturer’s software promise before you buy.