Google Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a Users Warned: Factory Reset May Brick Your Phone

Google Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a Users Warned: Factory Reset May Brick Your Phone
Image credit: Google store 

If you own a Google Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, or Pixel 6a phone, it's best to avoid doing a factory reset right now. Reports from Tech-Issues Today and The Verge indicate that performing a factory reset may brick your phone. Google is aware of the problem and is investigating, according to comments in the Pixel support forums.

Users have reported that attempting to reset their phones results in the device failing to boot up, instead displaying the error message: “Cannot load Android system. Your data may be corrupt. If you continue to get this message, you may need to perform a factory data reset and erase all user data stored on this device.” Trying again typically fails, and another factory reset may indicate the phone is missing a “tune2fs” file or show an “Unable to enable ext4 verify” message. The "tune2fs" file refers to a Unix command-line tool used to set file system parameters.

Most complaints come from users attempting factory resets, but some have encountered errors after updating their phones. Several posts on Reddit also highlight issues with bricked Pixel 6 phones following factory resets. These devices are not recoverable even with Google's Android Flash Tool or Google Pixel Update and Software Repair tools.

Google is reportedly working on a fix, but there is no estimated time of arrival. For now, if you own a Google Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, or Pixel 6a, it’s advisable to avoid updating or resetting your phone to prevent the risk of bricking it.