The Android 14 rollout began in phases to eligible Pixel devices in the first week of October. One of the high-severity Android 14 bugs reported was a storage bug that affected users using the “multiple profiles” feature. Initially, reports suggested that this bug was limited to the Pixel 6.
Several Pixel 6 owners have started reporting an Android 14 bug that completely blocked access to their local storage, resulting in the loss of valuable personal data. However, it has been found that the Android 14 user profile issue is now not limited to a specific device. It has been found to affect a number of devices that are upgrading to Android 14 early, including the Pixel 6, 6a, 7, 7a, Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet.
This error causes significant disruption, rendering devices almost unusable due to locking the device storage. Some users compared the experience to encountering “ransomware”.
What is Android 14 User Profile Bug?
After installing Android 14, many Pixel users are encountering a significant bug that severely affects their local storage. According to user reports, when trying to use apps that require storage access, such as the Camera app to take photos or WhatsApp to send media files, affected users are getting error messages showing ‘no internal storage available’ or ‘not enough storage available. ‘
Furthermore, when users try to access content stored in their local storage through the file viewer application, they find that all downloads, documents or multimedia are unavailable.
In other words, previously saved files and data, including documents and media, appear empty or non-functional. can’t take pictures, can’t install or uninstall apps. It only affects my main account. I have a separate account where everything works fine.
The original poster mentioned the “storage is full” error occurring after rebooting after the nightly update to Android 14, while another commenter reported a complete loss of access to their device’s internal storage. This issue causes significant disruption to those affected and can result in the loss of important data and the inability to use essential applications and features that rely on storage access.
A few of the most common issues reported on the Google Issue Tracker, Reddit, and the Google Community Forums are summarized below. It’s obvious that the Android 14 update has had a detrimental effect on your primary user account, rendering the device virtually unusable. Here are the key issues faced by Pixel user:
- Unable to use the camera: The camera app no longer works, preventing you from taking photos. The camera app shows a “no storage space” message and one cannot take screenshots due to lack of available storage space.
- Application management issues: Unable to install or uninstall applications.
- Download and attachment issues: New downloads and media attachments cannot be saved.
- Loss of internal storage recognition: The primary user account no longer recognizes the device’s internal storage. The file manager on the Pixel device shows 0 bytes for all file types and empty folders, and files cannot be viewed from a computer via USB.
- Failed to download and update applications: The device cannot download and update applications due to the inability to recognize the internal memory.
- File access restrictions: Access and search of files on the device is not possible.
- Problems with creating backups: Creating and accessing backups is no longer possible.
- Deleting apps: By deleting apps, you don’t remove them from the device, but add them to the system partition.
- Apps that require internal storage: Apps that rely on accessing internal storage, such as Camera, Music, Photos, WhatsApp and Viber, do not work.
- YouTube Premium issues: Issues with the YouTube Music app also affected the subscription service.
- QR codes – scanning QR codes is no longer possible
- Constant crashing of the system user interface and settings
This issue not only affected Pixel phones with multiple profiles, but also made them stuck in the “Pixel is getting started” stage where the authentication app can’t be used, thus locking it out of business. Google support has suggested a factory reset as a potential solution, but most users are hesitant to do this option due to concerns about data loss.
Has Google acknowledged the Android 14 user profile bug?
Google’s bug tracker for Android Bug “pixel 6 can’t access storage with multiple profiles after updating to android 14” has collected over 400 responses. However, it has not been moved to P0 or assigned to any developer. It is currently assigned a medium “P2” priority (with P0 as the highest priority). This suggests that since the last update, no one from Google has investigated and fixed the soft brick issue.
One Pixel user shared the response on the Issue Tracker that he received from Google Support when he reported the Android 14 bug.
However, confirmation came from a Google product specialist on the Pixel support forums. It is currently confirmed that the Google team is actively working on a solution to resolve this disruptive storage issue. However, there is no estimated time of arrival (ETA) for when the fix will be rolled out.
With no ETA in sight, affected users may still be unable to use their devices or access their local files for an indefinite period unless they opt for a factory reset. Unfortunately, factory reset means losing all data, making it a challenging decision for those affected.
Also for Google Pixel users after the Android 14 update, it is advisable to consider disabling or avoiding using the ‘multiple profiles’ option on their devices. This precaution can help prevent critical bugs until Google releases a new Android 14 update with the necessary bug fixes. By disabling this feature, you can reduce the risk of storage-related issues and outages that are currently affecting some users.
However, we can also see Google taking steps to address the critical issue by providing some compensation and repair options. Here’s what Google offers:
- $25 Store Credit: Google is giving $25 in Google Store credit to those affected by the bug.
- Repair options:
- Advanced Replacement: Under this option, users will get a temporary replacement device before sending their damaged phone to a technical service. This allows users to continue using the device while their original device is being repaired.
- Standard replacement: With this option, users will receive a replacement device after their damaged phone is inspected by a technical service. This option ensures that the replacement device meets the required standards before being sent to the user.
Both repair options aim to provide users with a solution to their device issues, but come with different conditions to consider. A detailed response from Google’s support team likely outlines the specific terms and requirements for each option.
We hope that Google will fix this critical bug immediately, because it should not have been there in the first place. This will allow Pixel owners to retrieve their personal data as well as use their devices without worry or frustration.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn