Factory resetting your Pixel 6-series smartphone may leave it bricked. Google acknowledges that this is a “known issue” and is currently working to find a solution.
Reports of this factory reset error began about two weeks ago. Since then, Pixel 6 owners have flocked to Reddit and the Google Support forum to voice their complaints. These users say that their Pixel 6, 6a, or 6 Pro smartphone is “bricked” after performing a factory reset—more specifically, their phones are stuck on the Android Recovery screen with a “data may be corrupt” warning.
Performing another factory reset from the Android Recovery screen does not resolve the issue. Attempting to sideload an update through ADB also results in failure, and an OEM lock prevents users from flashing the operating system after this error occurs.
An employee on the Google Support forum confirms that this is a “known problem.” Google engineers are currently investigating the problem but have not provided guidance for affected users.
We don’t know what’s causing this problem. Some customers believe that it’s related to a recent firmware update, which would certainly explain the recent influx of complaints. But some customers who reached out to Google were told that a faulty motherboard is responsible. It may take a few weeks for the truth to come to light.
As much as I love the Pixel smartphone, I’m frustrated by how often Google’s customers are forced to deal with busted hardware or software. The Pixel 6 lineup lineup is particularly troublesome—it’s suffered from a crappy fingerprint sensor, a screen-flickering defect, a Wi-Fi bug, multiple botched updates, and now, a data corruption bug.
I’m curious to see how Google will fix Pixel 6 phones that have already been “bricked.” Will the company offer some over-complicated software recovery tool, or will it simply ask customers to send their Pixel for repair? We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, I guess.
Pixel 6 owners should not factory reset their smartphone until this issue is resolved. If you’re in the process of selling your Pixel 6-series smartphone and need to perform a factory reset, I suggest contacting Google for assistance.
Source: Google Support Forum, Reddit via The Verge
