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Don't worry, Pixel 6 users, Google will fix your connectivity issues... by late January

Published: Dec 30, 2021, 2:27 PM

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Don't worry, Pixel 6 users, Google will fix your connectivity issues... by late January

What's worse than rolling out a feature-packed monthly software update midway through said month? Obviously, seeing the belated update cause more harm than good for a significant number of Pixel 6 and 6 Pro owners.

What's worse than needing several weeks to devise a fix for one of the most annoying bugs you could ever experience on a phone? Claiming you've "identified" said fix while potentially keeping your users waiting for its rollout for another month or so.

As absurd as it sounds, that's precisely the "strategy" Google is looking to adopt in tackling those widely reported connectivity issues of the last few weeks, at least according to a new note published by a Pixel Community Manager on the search giant's support webpage.

But wait, there's more

Making matters even worse (yes, that is possible), said Community Manager is recommending Pixel 6 and 6 Pro users who are "still experiencing mobile connectivity issues" revert to the previous software version with the help of the always handy Android Flash Tool, in which case a factory reset will unfortunately also be required for the changes to come into effect.

Although that is naturally likely to allow you to make and receive phone calls again sans fearing constant interruptions and network failures, going back to the November security patch level (or earlier) means you'll be temporarily giving up all the good Google's December update actually brought to the table.

If you were experiencing any other bugs that the update managed to fix (which is likely given the sheer number of bugs that have made headlines since October), you might find yourself stuck choosing between two (or more) issues, and that's before we even take into consideration the inherent inconvenience of having to reset one's phone to its factory settings just to be able to enjoy voice calling functionality in areas with perfect signal.

Yes, it somehow gets worse

Of course, the alternative of continuing to randomly miss or drop calls for up to another month or so is unlikely to please a lot of people, so you may have to do the unthinkable after all. Besides, "by late January" could mean early January, although for some reason, we're not optimistic about such a quick and happy conclusion to these particular troubles.

None of this applies to folks who haven't had mobile connectivity problems after installing the latest update on the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro, of course, and oh, in case you're wondering, said update appears to have been "paused" at some point in the last few weeks with no prior warning whatsoever, which is simply wrong on many different levels.

So much promise, so many problems, such poor handling of some of them

It remains to be seen now exactly how much more time Google will need between today and "late January" to deliver this presumably complicated fix to impacted users, and what will happen with the paused December 2021 update and a January 2022 patch we were obviously hoping would be released sooner rather than later.

The whole situation is a big and frankly pretty confusing mess, and as charmed as we were by the 5G-enabled Pixel 6 duo at first, we're finding it harder and harder to recommend these bad boys as some of the best phones money can buy anymore. Maybe that still stands from a hardware standpoint, but the software issues are somehow multiplying and getting more serious with time rather than the other way around.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.