What you need to know
- A rumor claims Google is working on a future bootloader patch that will restrict users from downgrading to older Android software.
- This change is reportedly headed for the Pixel 10, though the rumor wasn't clear as to when this might arrive.
- Google's had anti-rollback measures before on the Pixel 6 series, and even OnePlus came forward with something similar; however, it did walk it back.
Apparently, Google is looking to deliver a deterrent against downgrading Pixel Android software in a future patch.
This was a possibility alleged by tipster Mystic Leaks in a Telegram post this week (via Android Authority). Mystic suggests Google is preparing a bootloader update for the flagship Pixel 10 series phones that "increments anti-rollback version for the bootloader." Simply put, this change, once downloaded, would make it nearly impossible for users to downgrade from one Android OS version to another. Say, you've had problems with this current update, well, you could downgrade.
With this rumored patch, you wouldn't be able to do that anymore and would have to stick it out. However, this is where the "nearly impossible" aspect comes into play. Mystic claims that users may be forced to sideload a previous OTA to not brick their device in "certain situations."
Hearing "OTA images" already makes me think the majority, more casual Android users are out of the picture. This takes the rollback feature from being relatively easy to do to something that requires a bit more technical knowledge and understanding. It makes sense to know that you can't drop back that far into a possibly dangerous OS version. But if there's a software issue on your device, and the only option is rollback to a month or two-month-old version, that might be hard.
This anti-rollback measure isn't anything new. As Android Authority mentions, Google has implemented this since way back on the Pixel 6. Its purpose is to stop users from dropping back into a potentially harmful version of Android that might have a critical vulnerability.
It's unclear when this is supposed to arrive, though Mystic Leaks only claims a "future Android release" will carry it.
Software safety
Google rolled out a patch that updated its bootloader to stop people from downgrading from Android 13 to 12 on the Pixel years ago. Shortly after, Google said it was making it possible for users to downgrade from Android 13 to 12, but only if you were a developer. It was made known that Google did this to prevent the bootloader vulnerabilities from being exploited. That sentiment caused quite a few frustrations for developers, which is why the company rolled out some aid.
The freedom to do what you want with software is always a boon to users involved with that kind of thing. Most users likely don't ever interact with it, but there are times when they might. As I've said before, sometimes there are issues present in one version and not the other. A quick rollback and you're all good. OnePlus said it had its measures in place for security reasons, but didn't elaborate. I'd assume for Google, the story is more or less the same as it was in 2022.
Those developer support builds weren't intended to be used for everyday use, as Google said in its post. More importantly, those builds didn't have the latest security software patches. We also heard some anti-rollback talk from OnePlus earlier this year when word broke that it would brick your phone if you attempted to go back. Downgrading or flashing a custom ROM would result in an unusable phone (OnePlus 13, 13T, and 15).
Users didn't take too kindly to this news, as OnePlus had to come forward days later and confirm that its anti-rollback measures were temporary.
