February is already one-third over, but the Google Play System update for Android, dated January 2024, has only just begun to roll out.
Update for Android
Initially released in early January, this update gained notoriety for inadvertently locking users out of their phone’s local storage, prompting its swift retraction.
According to reports, the update has been fixed and is slowly being reintroduced to devices.
Google described
Google described the problematic Android update as “multiple apps crashing, screenshots not saving, and external storage working inconsistently.”
This occurred during the initial rollout of the update last month, when multiple user accounts and work profiles encountered issues. Users, on the other hand, labelled this update “unusable.”
Complicated workaround
Google then issued instructions for a manual fix on February 1, roughly two weeks after the update’s initial rollout.
However, these instructions were quite complicated for the average user, requiring them to enable developer mode, download new developer tools, connect the phone to a computer, and type in the correct commands to manually fix buggy packages that were causing problems.
While Google hinted at an automated fix in a post on February 1, there has been no sign of its release in the nine days since.
New Format for Updates
With the December Play System update postponed due to the holiday season, this “January” update arrives in February, marking the first Play System update since November.
For those unfamiliar, Play System updates are a relatively new Android update format that differs from OS-level system and security updates.
Google distributes these updates through the Play Store, allowing direct updates to core Android components without relying on third-party manufacturers for implementation.
While this approach appears promising in theory, its success is ultimately dependent on the functionality of the updates themselves.
However, this is the second time in four months that an update has broken Pixel phones, with downtime lasting weeks.
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