Android 13 has just arrived today to Pixel devices and it’s Google’s sweetest release yet. Although they have dropped the dessert-codenames act already, the sweetness is still making an impact from the bubbly interface to the improved wallpaper-based theming system.
Now that the Android 13 update is official, Google has a new policy to share for firmware-hoppers and it is affecting the third-party development community.
Once updated, there’s no going back.
Google has added a disclaimer on the “Downloads” page of the Google Developers website saying that Pixel 6 owners will not be able to downgrade or use older Android 12 builds once updated to Android 13. This change affects not just the vanilla Pixel 6 but also the Pixel 6a and Pixel 6 Pro.
“Warning: The Android 13 update for Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and the Pixel 6a contains a bootloader update that increments the anti-roll back version. After flashing an Android 13 build on these devices you will not be able to flash older Android 12 builds.”
Although it has not been confirmed, a GSMArena report has speculated that the Google Tensor chip seen from the Pixel 6 lineup is enough for Google to protect its devices from future exploits. The online publication also added that “the anti-roll back feature is an intended security measure that is now starting to go into effect for Google Pixel phones.”
Source: Google Developers, Via: GSMArena