Relief could be coming soon for Google Pixel users suffering from bricked Pixel 6 phones. Google put out an official response on what users can do to avoid their phones getting bricked while the company works on a fix.
The original fault occurred when users tried to factory rest their Google Pixel 6, Google Pixel 6a and Google Pixel 6 Pro. The phones would display an error message that it was unable to load Android. "Your data may be corrupt. If you continue to get this message, you may need to perform a factory data reset and erase all user data stored on this device,” the message continued.
Google has since released some advice on how to avoid the issue, adding that it's looking into a permanent fix for the problem. Google recommends leaving devices powered on and idle for 15 minutes after the reboot following a system update. Once that time has passed, you can then run a factory reset the phone. Alternatively, Google recommends factory resetting the phone before downloading the recent system update.
Unfortunately, this isn’t much help for users who have already had their phones bricked whend trying to update. Google has asked users to keep the thread bookmarked for the eventual fix. There is currently no mention of whether this fault would fall under a warranty issue, though some users on the original support thread did mention that Google Support had mentioned the option.
While we do not know much about the cause of the fault, it is important to note that users should not try to factory reset their device again when the fault occurs. That leads to more concerning messages mentioning the phone missing critical files. While it is annoying to have to wait, especially as the most common reason to perform a factory reset is to sell the phone, it is likely better than breaking the device.
It’s good to see that Google is try to solve the issue, and the relative speed of the response is encouraging. However, there will still be some time before we have a full fix.
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