July 2, 2024 By Bill Toulas
Multiple owners of Google Pixel 6 series phones (6, 6a, 6 Pro) have been reporting in the past week that their devices were "bricked" after they performed a factory reset.
Factory resets wipe the device of all personal data, apps, and settings and are typically performed when the device owner prepares it for resale.
The Pixel 6 series, released in late 2021, is approaching the typical upgrade cycle for many original buyers, and issues with the factory reset process have become significantly more impactful.
Starting last week, users reported getting an error about a missing 'tune2fs' file during boot up, leading to a recovery screen reading "Cannot load Android system. Your data may be corrupt."
The Android recovery screen prompts the user to perform another factory reset, creating an endless loop that doesn't resolve the issue.
I cannot tell you how many times I had my Sony phone “brick” after updates or resets. You would think they might test these things, but Im guessing they just do not have the resources or time to test every phone.