Google is warning owners of recent Pixel smartphones that the upgrade to Android 13 will be permanent — they won’t be able to go back to Android 12 or earlier.
Specifically, if you own a Google Pixel 6, Google Pixel 6 Pro, or the new Google Pixel 6a and upgrade to the latest OS, you won’t be able to revert to an earlier version. So while Android 13 is now available, you might want to think twice if you want to be able to downgrade to an earlier Android OS.
The warning appeared on Google’s Factory Images page – which enables older Android versions to be quickly installed on Google smartphones. In the warning, Google said “The Android 13 update for the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6a includes a bootloader update that adds an anti-rollback version. After flashing Android 13 on these devices, you won’t be able to Flash to an older Android 12 version.”
Unless you have a specific reason to downgrade, there’s usually no need to go back to the old OS on any device, especially if you’re concerned about digital security and want your apps to work. But with Google’s new changes to how its updates work, Pixel users may need to be a little careful before upgrading the OS.
While this Android 13 release is supposed to be stable — issues have been resolved thanks to months of beta testing — issues with the OS are not uncommon. Take a look at Microsoft’s Windows 11 – the operating system faces endless problems and often sees users opting to downgrade to older versions of Windows.
That said, if you’ve already upgraded to Android 13, there’s no need to panic. Going forward, you may want to wait a few days before downloading a new Android OS to make sure you don’t run into any major bugs until Google fixes them.
It’s unclear why the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6a are unique among Google’s phones in that it doesn’t allow you to downgrade from Android 13, and it’s also unclear if the limitation affects other Android 13-compatible devices.
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