Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR A Redditor has claimed that many owners of older Pixel phones are suffering from bricked devices.
The problem purportedly occurs after switching slots, flashing certain ROMs, downgrading the OS, or installing the June 2025 update.
Google is apparently refusing to provide recovery bootloader images to fix the issue.
Tinkering with Android phones has become an increasingly complex endeavor, as phone brands and Google step up software protections. Unfortunately, it sounds like owners of older Pixel phones are facing a dead-end with their bricked devices.
Redditor Special-Lecture7984 claimed that they’ve encountered dozens of bricked old Pixel phones at their repair store in Russia and over 100 at partner stores. These devices include the Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7 range, and Pixel 8 family. The user also pointed to a Google Issue Tracker thread that started way back in March.
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The Redditor claims that these devices are bricked in one of four ways: when users try “switching slots,” flashing certain Android ROMs, downgrading the OS, or after installing the June 2025 update. The latter issue is particularly concerning as it suggests that some older phones might be bricked due to Google’s own update.
Unfortunately, the user claims that Google isn’t providing the recovery bootloader images that would unbrick these devices. They claim that Google cited “security reasons” for the refusal to provide these images.
Have you ever bricked your smartphone? 56 votes Yes, more than once 21 % Yes, but only once 16 % No, I haven't 63 % I'm not sure 0 %
“Many users have questioned this explanation, noting that recovery bootloaders are generally identical to shipped bootloaders except for the signature, so no new attack surface would be introduced,” the user asserted.
We’ve asked Google about this issue and whether it plans to offer recovery bootloader images. We’ll update the article as soon as the company responds to our email. Nevertheless, we hope the company takes some concrete action, especially for people who may have had issues after installing the June 2025 update. But this would also be a major help for tinkerers or people who simply aren’t happy with the latest update.
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