Pixel 6 Users Beware: This One Mistake Could Brick Your Phone!

Google Pixel 6 series devices risk getting bricked if users perform a “factory reset”. Although sporadic, reports about Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6A turning into a dead paperweight have suddenly surged in the last few days.

A software update isn’t bricking Pixel 6 series smartphones

Google Pixel 6 series smartphone owners should avoid resetting their devices to factory settings for the next few days. This is because attempting a “factory reset” could brick their smartphones.

Reports about Google Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6a “bricking” after owners tried to perform a full reset have appeared on Reddit and the Google Pixel support community.

According to Tech-Issues Today, the issue isn’t limited to any specific model in the Pixel 6 series. In other words, any Android smartphone from the Pixel 6 series could fail to boot up after a factory reset.

Similarly, the Android version doesn’t matter either. Hence, some users have observed that a recent software update or an Android firmware update might not be the root cause. This means a Pixel 6 series smartphone could be bricked primarily due to a factory reset.

Most of the Pixel 6 owners who managed to brick their devices observed a similar pattern. The affected smartphone would refuse to boot normally. Instead, it would throw the following error:

“Cannot load Android system. 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.”

If users attempt to perform a “wipe”, a separate error mentions the phone is missing a file called tune2fs. According to The Verge, this file is a Unix command line tool used to set file system parameters.

Is Google aware performing a factory reset may brick Pixel 6 devices?

The Pixel 6 series launched in 2021. What this means is that the majority of Pixel 6 smartphones would be out of standard warranty.

This strongly implies Google would offer paid service or replacements, presumably citing motherboard issues. In other words, Pixel 6 owners who brick their smartphones could be looking at an expensive resolution to their troubles.

Pixel 6, 6 Pro and 6a bricking after factory reset, Google investigatinghttps://t.co/abc3yN2UYQ pic.twitter.com/ChIsWBbl7u

— Tech-Issues Today (@TechIssues2day) July 1, 2024

All hope, however, isn’t lost. A person who identifies as Detlef M., and claims to be a “Platinum Product Expert” on the Google Pixel support community, has implied Google is aware of the issue.

He added that Google is investigating the issue and advised affected users to watch the thread for any updates.