Key Takeaways:
Google has asked Pixel 6 owners to back off from factory resetting their phones due to recent complaints that the devices were getting bricked. The issue has been found on the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6A.
Pixel 6 Users Found Their Phones To Not Reboot After Factory Reset
Users posted complaints on the Google Support Forum thread about the issue first spotted by Indian tech news outlet Tech-Issues Today. They claim that after attempting to factory reset their phone, it entered a boot loop, displaying an error message that states “cannot load Android system. Your data may be corrupt.”
It also read that if users continue to receive the same message, they may need to perform a factory reset and erase all user data stored on the device. While users could make a second attempt to wipe their data, the phone continued to display the same error message.
Another issue is that further attempts to restore the Pixel 6 to its factory settings often lead to alarming issues, such as the device missing critical files like “tune2fs” or failing to enable “ext4 verify”. Both of these are crucial to the smooth functioning and the integrity of the file system on the phones.
Some Pixel 6 users reported seeing the issue after updating and booting their phones. Those who experienced the issue also said they were not able to recover their phones using Google-recommended tools for doing so like the Android Flash Tool or Google Pixel Update and Software Repair.
Google Acknowledged The Issue That May Be Caused By A Software Glitch
The issue does not seem to be a one-time glitch, with a large number of users indicating that it is a fault with the phone’s software, rather than the hardware like the faulty volume button on the Pixel 7 series.
The underlying cause of the bug seems to be a software update, but it is hard to figure out which one is the culprit. While many users claim to have been running the current stable version of Android 14 on their Pixel 6 when the issue arose, a few of them reported discovering it on devices running Android 15 Beta 3.
Tech Issues Today posted a reply they received from a Product Expert on Google Forum who claims the issue to be a known one that is already under investigation. But Google has yet to formally acknowledge the issue beyond that comment.
According to comments made on the forum, the company appears to be working on solving the issue, but we don’t know when the fix will come to the Pixel phones. Google has advised Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6A users to keep their phones powered on and idle for 15 minutes after rebooting from a software update.
They claim this step should prevent any issues when performing a factory reset. Alternatively, users can reset their phones before installing any new software update. If your Pixel 6 is already bricked, then you will need to wait until Google released a fix.
The bricking issue has been found to be affecting only the Pixel 6 series. Later versions of Google’s flagship seems to be working just fine.
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