Google’s Android 14 Storage Bug Gets Patched With New November Security Update, but There’s a Catch

Google’s solution does nothing to help those whose phones are stuck in a bootloop

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 9 November 2023 15:40 IST

Google’s Android 14 Storage Bug Gets Patched With New November Security Update, but There’s a Catch

Google recently launched its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones in India

Highlights

The Android 14 storage bug only affects users with multiple device profil
The bug locks users out of their device’s local storage
Currently only a factory reset can make an affected device usable

The storage-related issue that initially seemed to affect only Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro owners, turned out to be a massive one with disastrous consequences indeed. Triggered after updating to the latest Android 14 software, which was released early October for Pixel phones, the software seemed to lock users out of their phone's local storage, rendering them unusable. While some users could still get to their homescreens, others weren't as lucky, as the Android 14 update put their phones into a constant reboot loop (commonly known as a bootloop). Now, more than a month later, Google has started rolling out a patch that it claims will fix the issue, but it's not as easy as it seems.

As per ArsTechnica, the bug which can almost be termed as ‘ransomware' will only save the first set of users who can still turn on and access their smartphones. Such users will at least be able to download and install the latest security patch and be able to recover the local data stored on their phones, which until now was not accessible thanks to the bug. However, this is not the case for those whose handsets are in a bootloop as such a device will need to be erased completely and updated with the latest firmware to avoid going back into such a state once again. This also means that users suffering from the bootloop will not be able to recover their local data, which will be lost forever.

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The security update patch notes that the storage bug issue affects a number of phones including the Pixel 6, Pixel 6a, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold, and even Google's latest Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro smartphones.

As per the report, the same bug-ridden Android 14 update was still being seeded by Google until a few days ago, which is strange because Google usually pulls the plug on problematic updates. And this is usually the reason for staggered roll out for all updates.

The storage bug indeed will leave a lot of Pixel owners furious about how the brand has left them stranded, with Google themselves unable to find a viable solution to the problem they helped create. And it all points to the fact that smartphone data backups are important especially if you happen to store a lot of data off the cloud and physically on your smartphone or even if you just prefer to have things that way.

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Google Pixel 6

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.40-inch

Processor Google Tensor

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 4614mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

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Google Pixel 6a

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
IP67-rated design
Impressive cameras for photos
Vibrant OLED display
Stock Android 13 software

Bad
Plastic back is prone to scratches
60Hz display does not feel fluid
Cannot handle heavy gaming
Recorded video needs work
Relatively slow charging, no wireless charging
Battery life could be better

Read detailed Google Pixel 6a review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Google Tensor

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12.2-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 6GB

Storage 128GB

Battery Capacity 4410mAh

OS Android 13

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

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Google Pixel 6 Pro

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Google Tensor

Front Camera 11.1-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 5003mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1440x3120 pixels

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Google Pixel 7

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Sharp, 90Hz display
Good quality cameras
Good gaming performance
Bloatware-free software, timely updates
Good battery life
IP68 rating

Bad
Video recording could be better
Gets warm under load
No bundled charger
Relatively slow charging

Read detailed Google Pixel 7 review

Display 6.30-inch

Processor Google Tensor G2

Front Camera 10.8-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB

OS Android 13

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

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Google Pixel 7 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Sharp, 120Hz display
Good quality cameras
Good gaming performance
Bloatware-free software, timely updates
Premium design, IP68 rating

Bad
Gets warm under load
No bundled charger
Underwhelming battery life
Relatively slow charging

Read detailed Google Pixel 7 Pro review

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Google Tensor G2

Front Camera 10.8-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 128GB

OS Android 13

Resolution 1440x3120 pixels

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Google Pixel 7a

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Good performance
High refresh rate display
IP67 rating
Wireless charging
Good overall camera performance

Bad
One-day battery life
Limited storage
Heats up with camera usage
No bundled charger, slow charging speed

Read detailed Google Pixel 7a review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Google Tensor G2

Front Camera 10.8-megapixel

Rear Camera 64-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB

Battery Capacity 4385mAh

OS Android 13

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

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Google Pixel Tablet

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 10.95-inch

Processor Google Tensor G2, Titan M2 security coprocessor

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Resolution 2560x1600 pixels

RAM 8GB

OS Android 13

Storage 128GB

Rear Camera 8-megapixel

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Google Pixel Fold

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display (Primary) 7.60-inch

Processor Google Tensor G2

Front Camera 9.5-megapixel + 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 10.8-megapixel + 10.8-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB

Battery Capacity 4821mAh

OS Android 13

Resolution 2208x1840 pixels

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Google Pixel 8

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Smaller form factor makes it more comfortable to hold
Excellent and bright display
Cameras are still the best
Packed with AI features

Bad
Battery life is still not the best
Expensive
Tends to heat up under heavy load

Read detailed Google Pixel 8 review

Display 6.20-inch

Processor Google Tensor G3

Front Camera 11-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 4575mAh

OS Android 14

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

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Google Pixel 8 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Premium design, IP68 rating
Fun AI-infused software experience
Good quality cameras
Quality video recording
Impressive image editing software
Long-term commitment to software updates

Bad
Gets warm under load
Buggy camera app
Not made for gaming
Average battery life
Relatively slow wired charging

Read detailed Google Pixel 8 Pro review

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Google Tensor G3

Front Camera 11-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 64-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 5050mAh

OS Android 14

Resolution 1344x2992 pixels

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Further reading: Google, Android 14, Android 14 Bugs

Sheldon Pinto

Email Sheldon Pinto

Sheldon Pinto is based in Mumbai, and has several years of experience in reviewing smartphones and gadgets. As a Senior Reviewer at Gadgets 360, you will always find him deeply immersed in his reviews, switching from one phone to another. When the battery dies out, Sheldon is always browsing the web for a good sci-fi movie or reading up on cars and bikes. He also loves creating lists of interesting places to eat and travel. Sheldon is available on Twitter at @shellshocd, and you can mail him at ...More