Google Issues Warning To Pixel 6 Users Over New Bricking Bug

The chorus of people complaining about their Pixel 6 phones bricking after attempting a factory reset is growing. Google is now warning Pixel 6 users who want to factory reset their devices to do so in a particular way.

For the uninitiated, some Pixel 6, 6a and 6 Pro owners have been reporting that their devices have bricked following a factory reset. After attempting to wipe the handset, an error message pops up with a warning that data on the device may be corrupt. Android then refuses to load and the phone gets lost in a bootloop.

The first reports about the issue surfaced about two weeks ago on Google’s community forums, and complaints have only grown since. A post about the problem has been turned into a sticky mega thread on Reddit, with over 100 responses.

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“I have the same issue with my Pixel 6. No matter what I try—flash Google, Pixel Repair… or sideload, I get the same error.” One Redditor complained. “

I have the same issue. Installed [the] beta and wanted to reset to factory settings. It’s just outrageous, I cannot do anything with my phone right now. I tried totally everything. I did not even try [the] beta. I just got the normal OTA and updated. And it got bricked.” Another Pixel owner said on Reddit. Several complaints on Google’s support forums have been posted recently reporting the same problem.

Google’s acknowledgment of the bug garnered 635 responses saying they have the same issue, so it does appear to be widespread. Google didn’t explicitly say what is causing Pixel 6 phones to brick, but it appears to be related to a recent system update.

“We’ve recently received reports from some users who have run into issues factory resetting their Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a after they take the latest system update.” A post from a Google community manager explains.

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The post continued with a warning about factory resetting the Pixel 6. “To avoid this issue, do not factory reset your device unless it is fully updated, and it has been booted up for at least 15 minutes following a system update.”

For people who are stuck in a boot loop, Google says that it is working on the problem. “The team has identified the root cause of the issue and is working on developing the best possible solution.”

This isn’t the first Android problem that has resulted in bricked Pixel 6 phones. After updating to Android 14 last October, some Pixel 6a and 6 Pro users noticed that they no longer had access to their local files, their devices were stuck in a boot loop, bricked and experiencing crashes. Google eventually acknowledged that it was a bug related to people who used multiple profiles and later rolled out a fix.

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