The Pixel 10’s May update blocks the download of Android versions

Google introduced May Pixel updatebrings a change to the Pixel 10 series that prevents users from downgrading their devices to older Android versions. That was it is expected to occurand is now officially in place.

Notice to the company developer page confirms that the update contains a bootloader change that increases the version against the rollback. This means that after installing the May update, Pixel 10 series devices cannot flash and boot older Android 16 devices.

The move builds on Android’s existing rollback protection, part of the Verified Boot framework designed to prevent devices from running potentially malicious or sensitive software. While this isn’t new for Pixel phones, the launch once again highlighted a long-standing problem for developers and advanced users.

The problem isn’t just about losing the ability to downgrade to an older Android build. Users say that if the Pixel enters certain deeper recovery states, the phone can effectively become useless. This can happen in various scenarios, like when you flash a factory image or OTA and something breaks midway.

Internal Google teams have the recovery tools or signed recovery images needed to restore devices from these states, but external, regular users do not have access to them.

Because the Telegram channel leaked, Mystical Leaks notes that complaints have been raised regarding this restriction The Google Problem Follower for a while, but Google ignored them.

So while the May update for the Pixel 10 series improves security by preventing rollbacks to older firmware, it reduces flexibility for some users and increases the risk of ending up with a device that can’t be easily restored.