Robert Triggs / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The Google Pixel 6 December 2021 update started rolling out at the beginning of the month. However, few users actually got it. Those who did complained of numerous bugs.
- Today, Google finally admitted it paused the update due to these problems.
- Fixes for the issues will go out with the January 2022 patch.
On December 6, 2021, Google made a big announcement about a new Pixel feature drop. The drop included numerous features for supported Pixel devices, with a lot of those features geared towards the Google Pixel 6 series. This was that series’ first quarterly drop since landing in October.
However, throughout this month, a lot of people have complained that they never received the update on their Pixel 6 phones. Worse still, those who did see the update complained of numerous bugs and problems. Most egregiously, some of the bugs are related to dropped calls. Now, finally, Google has admitted the Pixel 6 December 2021 update was paused at some point between December 6 and today, December 30.
In its statement, Google admits it has already identified a fix. However, the fix must be fairly complicated because it won’t roll out to Google Pixel 6 handsets until “late January.”
Although it doesn’t admit as much, it’s very clear that Google paused the rollout of the Pixel 6 December update well before today. It’s unfortunate the company only felt the need to make a formal announcement about it on December 30, with only hours left before the end of the year.
Pixel 6 December update problems? Oh well.
If you were one of the unlucky ones to actually get the update, Google has bad news for you. If you are facing dropped calls, the only solution, for now, is to roll back to a previous version of Android. This, of course, requires a factory reset of your phone. Ouch.
You’ll need to choose between a factory reset or living with dropped calls for a month.
The only other option is to wait and deal with the dropped calls until “late January” when Google pushes out the fix. That means you could have a month of unreliable calling. Double ouch.
Honestly, it’s pretty appalling to see Google operate in this fashion. First, it very clearly paused its update long before announcing it. It’s taking its sweet time in rolling out a fix (a month, seriously?) and the only other option available to people is a factory reset. This is all very messy.
For now, if you’re using the Pixel 6 December update, you have a tough choice to make. If you go the factory reset route, you’ll find the instructions and tools you need here.
