What you need to know
- Google is rumored to be working on a future downloader patch that will restrict users from downgrading to older Android firmware.
- This change is said to be headed to the Pixel 10, although the rumor was unclear as to when it would arrive.
- Google has previously taken anti-backlash measures on the Pixel 6 series, and even OnePlus has come up with something similar; However, he pulled it back.
Apparently, Google wants to introduce a barrier against downgrading the Pixel Android software in a future patch.
This was a possibility claimed by Mystic Leaks Telegram post this week (via Android Authority). Mystic suggests that Google is preparing a bootloader update for the flagship Pixel 10 series phones that “boosts the anti-rollback version for the bootloader”. Simply put, this change will make it almost impossible for users to downgrade from one Android OS version to another once downloaded. Say you’re having trouble with this current update, well, you can downgrade.
With this rumored patch, you won’t be able to do that anymore and will have to put it away. However, this is where the “almost impossible” aspect comes into play. Mystic claims that users may be forced to sideload a previous OTA to avoid bricking their device “in certain cases”.
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Android Central’s Take
Hearing “OTA images” already seems to me that most, more casual Android users are out of the picture. This makes the rollback feature something that requires a bit more technical knowledge and understanding than is relatively easy to do. It makes sense to know that you can’t go back to a compromised OS version that much. But if your device has a software problem and the only option is to go back to a month or two months old version, this can be difficult.
This anti-recoil measure is nothing new. As Android Authority points out, Google already implemented this on the Pixel 6. Its purpose is to prevent users from rolling back to a potentially malicious version of Android that may have a critical vulnerability.
While Mystic Leaks only claims that a “future Android release” will carry it, it’s unclear when that will arrive.
Software security
Google has released a patch that updates its downloader stop downgrading people Android 13 to 12 on the Pixel years ago. Shortly after, Google said it made it possible for users to downgrade from Android 13 to 12. but only if you are a developer. It turns out that Google did this to prevent exploits of the downloader’s vulnerabilities. This sentiment has caused enough frustrations for developers that the company has provided some relief.
Android Central’s Take
The freedom to do whatever you want with the software is always a boon for users who are into this sort of thing. Most users probably never interact with it, but there are times when they might. As I said before, sometimes one version has problems and not the other. Come back soon and you are all well. OnePlus said it was taking measures for security reasons, but did not elaborate. For Google, I would assume the story is more or less the same as it is in 2022.
As Google says in its post, these developer support tools are not intended for everyday use. More importantly, these builds did not have the latest security software patches. We heard some of them Talk back from OnePlus earlier this year when word got around that it would brick your phone if you tried to roll back. Downgrading or flashing custom ROM will result in unusable phone (OnePlus 1313T and 15).
Users did not take this news very kindlyas OnePlus had to come out days later and confirm that the rollback measures were temporary.
