Some Pixel owners reseed Android 12 update
After months of beta testing, Google released Android 13 on AOSP and began rolling out the update to all compatible Pixel phones from August 15. If you are a Pixel owner, you are first in line to receive the OTA update on your device. However, if new software appears on your Google-branded phone, don’t get too excited thinking it’s the latest version of Android. Many Pixel users report that instead of Android 13, Android 12 appears for download on their device.
Twitter and the r/GooglePixel subreddit are filled with reports from Pixel users who received a 2GB Android 12 update on their phones. This isn’t a case of Google pushing the wrong changelog with the latest version of Android, though. Some Pixel owners who were brave enough to download and install the update are reporting that their phone reinstalled Android 12 instead of the latest OS version. And the update doesn’t seem to increase the OS version number either.
Some users are also reporting that Android 13 update first appeared on their phone, but when they went to download it a few hours later, Android 12 was pushed instead. In some cases, Android 13 appeared for download after reinstalling the older OS version. Pixel 6 users seem to be primarily affected by the issue, although some Pixel 4a and 5a owners are also accidentally getting the Android 12 build. The issue doesn’t seem to be widespread, but it’s affecting a significant number of Pixel owners.
If you are in the same boat as other Pixel users, you can try restarting your phone to see if Android 13 shows up for download on your phone. Otherwise, you have to wait for the big G to fix the problem since it ended. We also reached out to Google for a comment on this. Until then, be sure to read our comprehensive Android 13 review to get an idea of everything new in the latest version of the operating system.