A particularly annoying bug appears to be affecting Google’s sixth-generation smartphones, and no fix is available yet.
For some, it has become a routine: before taking back their smartphone (for example by Fnac), a good reset is necessary. However, some had a funny surprise when trying to put their Pixel 6 back to its factory configuration: impossible to load Android and therefore to use the device.
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Posts from worried users are multiplying on Reddit. After resetting their device, a strange screen appears. On it, we can read “Android Recovery”, but above all that the smartphone is unable to load the phone’s operating system. In other words: resetting the Pixel 6 does not just delete its owner’s personal data; it erases everything on the phone’s memory, including Android.
The affected smartphones are said to be “bricked”, similar to bricks, because they are unable to start and therefore perform any function. The screen in question offers victims the possibility of trying to restore again, without success.
According to the specialized site Android Central, Google is informed of the situation and is working on a fix and a maneuver to restore a functional phone. For the time being, the brand has not yet communicated publicly on the problem.
Are other smartphones affected?
“Bricking” smartphones is a common situation when people try to “hack” their device, such as installing a modified version of Android or even a completely different operating system. This should never happen using anything other than the tools provided by Google within its smartphones. So when Google does develop a method to recover Android from affected Pixel 6s, it will definitely involve using a computer to reinject the operating system into the phone.
At first glance, only the “classic” Pixel 6s seem to be affected by this problem. However, anyone with a Pixel 6 Pro or Pixel 6a is advised to refrain from resetting their smartphone until Google clears up any doubts on the matter.
Android Central points out that this is not the first time that the Pixel 6 has been the victim of faulty software. Problems with Wi-Fi connection, tinted screen or vibrations that are too weak had already been reported in the past.
