So Android 14 has this pretty horrible storage bug for upgrading users. Bugs are always going to happen, but the big problem with this is that Google has seemingly been ignoring it, and on Friday we wrote about how users have been piling up hundreds of reports for days without an acknowledgement or fix promised by Google. Apparently one more round of news reports was enough to get the gears moving at Google. The bug has been assigned to someone now, and Googlers have jumped into the thread to make official statements that Google is looking into the matter. We are aware of an issue occurring on some Pixel devices that have both received the Android 14 update and have multiple users set up. It does not include having more than one Google account within the primary user or work profiles. We're continuing to work on fixes for impacted devices, and have already pushed out a Google Play system update that will help prevent this issue from being triggered on additional devices. To check if a Google Play system update is available for your device, follow the instructions in this Help Center article. If you're experiencing this issue: If your impacted device is unable to access media storage, we anticipate a system update will repair the issue and restore access to media files without requiring a factory reset. The highlights here are that Google says the bug affects devices with multiple Android users, not multiple Google accounts or users with work profiles. Multiple users all have separate data, separate apps, and separate Google accounts. Shipping a Google Play system update as a quick Band-Aid is an interesting solution, but as Google's post suggests, this doesn't mean the problem is fixed. Play system updates allow Google to update core system components via the Play Store, but they are really not meant for critical fixes. The big problem is that the Play system updates don't aggressively apply themselves or even let you know they have been downloaded. For Pixel users, it feels like the horse has already left the barn anyway-most Pixel phones have automatically applied the nearly month-old update by now. Users can force Play system updates to happen themselves by going to the system settings, then "Security & Privacy," then "System & updates," then "Google Play system update." If you have an update, you'll be prompted to reboot the phone. It would be great to have a single location for OS updates, Google Play System/Mainline updates, and app updates, but they are scattered everywhere and give conflicting "Up to date" messages. Finally, it's good news that Google has a solution in the works for people who have already been locked out of their devices. For people stuck in a "Pixel is starting" boot loop, Google sounds a bit sketchier, with Google planning a fix that will recover "Some" data. Google had better get to work quickly, as some Android partners are already rolling out Android 14 to a much wider audience.
This Cyber News was published on arstechnica.com. Publication date: Thu, 30 Nov 2023 23:19:27 +0000