Support our independent tech coverage. Chrome Unboxed is written by real people, for real people—not search algorithms. Join Chrome Unboxed Plus for just $2 a month to get an ad-free experience, access to our private Discord, and more. Learn more about membership here.
START FREE TRIAL (MONTHLY)START FREE TRIAL (ANNUAL)
Well ahead of the traditional schedule, Google has officially released the next iteration of Android to eligible Pixel devices. The update to Android 13 brings with it a slew of new features that you can read about in Johanna’s full coverage here. Most exciting for us here at the Chrome Unboxed HQ is the fact that the long-awaited messaging stream feature has arrived in this update. The tool will allow you to seamlessly stream your favorite messaging apps directly from your Android phone to your Chromebook.
Android 13 brings with it a ton of exciting stuff but that’s no guarantee that users will enjoy a bug-free experience. Granted, Google issues numerous updates to the Beta Preview of Android before the official release heads out into the wild but nothing is perfect. Sometimes, users may find a need to revert back to a previous software version for a variety of reasons. Historically, Pixel owners that bought their phones unlocked were free to downgrade and upgrade to their heart’s content.
Unfortunately for Pixel 6 and 6 Pro owners, that is no longer the case. Because of what appears to be a Tensor-specific bootloader update, Pixel 6 devices will not have the ability to roll back to Android 12 once the update to Android 13 is complete. The warning was highlighted on the Google Developers factory images website for Nexus and Pixel devices after the official launch of Android 13.
Warning: The Android 13 update for Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and the Pixel 6a contains a bootloader update that increments the anti-roll back version. After flashing an Android 13 build on these devices you will not be able to flash older Android 12 builds.
The percentage of users that will want or need to roll back their Pixel phones is fractional at best. Even if Android 13 hits any speedbumps, Google is swift to squash bugs and release incremental updates to the Android operating system. If you are one of the few that like to tinker or perhaps find your device to be buggy after the update, you have now been warned that you WILL NOT be able to downgrade to Android 12. That is all.
SUBSCRIBE TO UPSTREAM
Get Chrome Unboxed delivered straight to your inbox
Upstream is our flagship, curated newsletter with the top stories, most click-worthy deals, giveaways, and trending articles from Chrome Unboxed sent directly to your inbox a few times a week. Join 31,000+ subscribers.
