Pixel phones have been affected by a bug after Android 14 update, Google releases fix

Since the rollout of Android 14 on Pixel devices, many users have reported that the new OS update is causing a storage bug, especially on Pixel phones with multiple user profiles. The bug prevents users from accessing their media storage, and the only known workaround is to factory reset the phone. Google confirmed the existence of the bug in Google Issue Tracker and said that the team is working hard on a fix.

The official support page for Pixel phones states that the bug affects Pixel 6 and later models that have received the Android 14 update and have multiple users (other than the primary user) set up. "We are aware of an issue occurring on some Pixel devices (Pixel 6 and later models) that have both received the Android 14 update and have multiple users (other than the primary user) set up. Multiple users include users, guests, restricted profiles, and child users. However, it does not include having more than one Google account within the primary user or work profiles,"reads the official support page for Pixel phone.

Google also warns users that the flagged Android 14 storage bug can reboot a device and display a factory data reset message. If the user accepts the message, all data on the device will be erased. So, in order to keep the device safe it has asked users to update the OS. Google has already released a Google Play System update that fixes the bug on some Pixel devices, but the company is still working on a fix for all affected devices.

Google has assured users that it is working on a software update that will fix the Android 14 storage bug without requiring a factory reset. In the meantime, Google advises users not to create or log into a secondary user profile on their Pixel phone.

Meanwhile, Google is also working on a solution to recover lost data from Pixel phones that are stuck in a boot loop due to the Android 14 storage bug. This will also fix the "Pixel is starting" boot loop that is causing the storage bug.

Affected devices

Pixel 6 owners were the first to report the Android 14 storage bug, which started happening shortly after the update was released. The Android 14 storage bug also affects Pixel6a, 7, 7a, Pixel Fold, and Pixel Tablet devices. Android 14's multiple profile feature allows users to have multiple different user accounts on the same device. Users can use this feature to keep their personal and work data separate, for example. The bug is reportedly affecting users who use this feature. Several users also reported that they couldn't take screenshots on their phones because there was no available storage to save them.

How to update Pixel

To see if your Pixel phone has received the latest Google Play System update, go to Settings > Security & privacy > System & update > Google Play System update.