- The latest Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 update landed trouble for Pixel users.
- According to users on Reddit, sideloading the OTA resulted in their Pixel being soft-bricked.
- Fortunately, it can be fixed by sideloading the previous QPR Beta, i.e., the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 update.
Google released Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 yesterday with many bug fixes, improvements, and a few feature additions. However, as soon as the update landed, a few users on Reddit reported their Pixels were soft-bricked after sideloading the update.
According to 9to5Google, attempts to restart Pixels once the QPR3 Beta 2 update is installed resulted in the device getting stuck on the Google logo. This isn’t the first time in recent months that updates to Pixels have resulted in boot failures.
This is usually referred to as a “soft brick,” it isn’t tough to get your phone out of this state, provided you’re a bit versed with the Android Debugging Bridge and Sideloading.
At Beebom, we updated our Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6a to the latest beta but we did not experience any soft bricking issues so far.
If you’ve got your Pixel soft-bricked during the process, the solution is to sideload the previous version’s OTA, i.e., Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1, and your Pixel should be back to functioning in no time. The process is as follows:
1. Connect your device to your PC in Fastboot mode.
2. Type “adb devices” in the terminal and allow USB debugging on the phone.
3. Download the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 OTA package on your PC for your Pixel from this link.
4. Enter the following command in the terminal and press enter.
adb sideload "name_of_the_zip.zip"Once done, your phone should boot normally and no data will be lost.
As for the improvements that the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 update brings to the table, they’re as follows:
- Fixed crashes when using the device and updating apps.
- Fixed an issue where the device would go blank or when updates would cause a blank screen after switching to a different user or updating your device.
- Fixed the issue where the double tap to wake function wouldn’t work when in always-on display mode.
- Battery information will now be shown correctly in system settings, the status bar, and the lock screen.
- Device-to-device backup and restore transfers have been fixed.
- Fixed issues with system stability, performance, and cameras.
What are your thoughts about Pixels frequently soft-bricking? Let us know in the comment section below.
