A few weeks ago, Google rolled out the Android 13 update to Pixel devices. During its release, Google prohibited users who have updated to the latest OS to go back to Android 12. But after some issues, it looks like Google is now allowing users to revert to the old OS version.
Google turned to its developer site to explain the new decision. With this announcement, Pixel 6 device users can now roll back to an Android 12 Developer Support image. Other Android 12 image cannot be used again.
This is what Google explained:
“Developer Support builds are for developers only and aren’t suitable for general use.
Devices using developer support builds don’t receive OTA security updates like other devices, and Developer Support images aren’t rebuilt with the latest security fixes. Only an updated bootloader version is included, with its own security fixes and an incremented anti-rollback counter.
Developer Support builds aren’t Compatibility Test Suite (CTS)‑approved, but they have passed preliminary testing and provide a stable set of APIs for developers. Apps that depend on CTS-approved builds or use SafetyNet APIs might not work normally on Android 12 Developer Support builds.”
But before you decide to go back to an old Android 12 build, it’s important to remember that this will require a full device reset. So if you are not a developer, you might want to think twice before deciding to go back to Android 12.
Meanwhile, Google is getting ready to roll out the Android 13 beta version to Samsung Galaxy S21 phones. This, however, is only limited to UK users. If you would like to be part of the beta users, you will need to register for the One UI 5.0 beta.
You can learn more about this here.
Source: Android Authority
