What you need to know
- A rumor claims that Google is working on a future bootloader patch that will restrict users from downgrading to older Android software.
- This change is reportedly aimed at the Pixel 10, although the rumor was unclear about when it might arrive.
- Google had already had anti-rollback measures in the Pixel 6 series, and even OnePlus introduced something similar; however, he retreated.
Google is apparently looking to provide a deterrent against downgrading of Android’s Pixel software in a future patch.
This was a possibility alleged by whistleblower Mystic Leaks in a telegram post this week (via Android Authority). Mystic suggests that Google is preparing a bootloader update for the flagship Pixel 10 series phones that “increases the anti-rollback version of the bootloader.” Simply put, this change, once downloaded, would make it almost impossible for users to downgrade from one version of the Android operating system to another. Let’s say you’ve been having trouble with this current update, well, you might as well downgrade it.
With this rumored patch, you won’t be able to do that anymore and you’ll have to tough it out. However, this is where the “almost impossible” aspect comes into play. Mystic claims that users may be forced to download an older OTA so as not to brick their device in “certain situations.”
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Android Central’s opinion
Hearing “OTA images” already makes me think that most casual Android users are out of the picture. This takes the rollback function from being relatively easy to do to something that requires a little more technical knowledge and understanding. It makes sense to know that you can’t go back that far to a possibly dangerous version of the operating system. But if there’s a software issue on your device and the only option is to roll back to a version from a month or two months ago, that can be difficult.
This anti-reverse measure is nothing new. As Android Authority mentions, Google has long implemented this on the Pixel 6. Its purpose is to prevent users from ever resorting to a potentially harmful version of Android that could have a critical vulnerability.
It’s unclear when it’s supposed to arrive, though Mystic Leaks only claims that a “future Android version” will include it.
Software security
Google released a patch that updated its bootloader to prevent people from being downgraded from Android 13 to 12 on the Pixel years ago. Shortly after, Google said it would allow users to downgrade from Android 13 to 12. but only if you were a developer. It was learned that Google did this to prevent bootloader vulnerabilities from being exploited. That sentiment caused developers quite a bit of frustration, which is why the company implemented some help.
Android Central’s opinion
The freedom to do whatever you want with the software is always a blessing for users involved in that kind of thing. Most users will probably never interact with it, but there are times when they might. As I said before, sometimes there are problems present in one version and not the other. A quick revert and you’ll be fine. OnePlus said it had implemented its measures for security reasons, but did not provide further details. I guess for Google the story is more or less the same as in 2022.
Those developer support builds were not intended for everyday use, as Google said in its post. More importantly, those builds did not have the latest security software patches. We also heard some OnePlus anti-rollback talk earlier this year, when word spread that he would lock his phone if he tried to return. Downgrading or flashing a custom ROM would result in an unusable phone (OnePlus 1313T and 15).
Users do not take this news very kindlyas OnePlus had to come forward days later and confirm that its anti-rollback measures were temporary.
