After an incredible period of silence, Google has finally told desperate Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro users what’s going on: as many suspected, the online giant has delayed the long-overdue and much-needed December 2021 because of quality issues.
“The Pixel team paused the December software update to Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro devices after some users reported calls were dropping or disconnecting,” a Pixel Community Manager posted on a support page less than one hour ago. “We have now identified a fix that will roll out in a software update by late January. This update will also include all the fixes and improvements that were originally planned in December.”
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What’s missing from this overdue update is, of course, the new schedule: we still have no idea when this update will arrive.
UPDATE: The December 2021 update for Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will now be released “by late January,” Google says. Good thing I spent over two weeks checking for this update multiple times each day. –Paul
As you may recall, Google originally said that it would ship the December 2021 update for Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro on December 13. But as I and many others noticed, that update never arrived. And Google has been, until now, silent on the issue, frustrating many because of the serious nature of the problems this update fixes.
This is troubling. I’ve always purchased unlocked Pixel handsets directly from Google, in part because they receive updates the moment they’re released. This month was the first time that didn’t happen.
Some of those few that did receive the December 2021 update are experiencing the cellular connectivity issues that triggered the deployment pause. For those, Google offers the following advice:
“If you received the December software update on Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro and are still experiencing mobile connectivity issues, you can revert to the previous software version using the Android Flash Tool (flash.android.com) and performing a factory reset,” the a Pixel Community Manager notes, not mentioning that doing so will completely wipe out the device. “Please back up your phone before restoring to the previous software version. If you are not experiencing mobile connectivity issues, no action is required. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we roll out the fix.”
Yes. Patience.
Like many others, I’d like to communicate how patient I am to Google directly. But go figure, it has locked the support post, disabling commenting. Happy Holidays from Google, you Pixel-loving idiots!