What you need to know
- The January 2024 Google Play System update is apparently causing internal storage woes, camera crashes, and more issues for many Pixel owners.
- Google has acknowledged the bug's existence and is investigating, although there's no timeline for a fix yet.
- This storage snag isn't a first; a similar issue struck Pixel devices in October with Android 14, targeting users with multiple profiles.
The January 2024 Google Play System update seems to be throwing Pixel users a curveball, messing with internal storage access, and causing hiccups across different apps and services.
Over on the r/GooglePixel subreddit, one Pixel user rounded up threads from various Pixel owners who reported encountering several issues after installing the latest Google Play system update, as spotted by 9to5Google.
Multiple users have also chimed in, saying they can't access their phone's internal storage. They have also complained about missing files and camera crashes, among others.
Scrolling through the Reddit threads, it seems like users are dealing with a whole buffet of problems, including disappearing photos and screenshots, websites failing to load, apps throwing a tantrum, some phones stuck in boot loops, and completely bricked devices.
Adding fuel to the fire, it seems the January 2024 update has cast a pretty wide net of chaos, roping in various Pixel models, such as the Google Pixel 5, Pixel 6, and Pixel 7. Even the supposedly invincible Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro aren't immune to the bug.
Back in October, Pixel users also had to deal with a storage bug that affected Pixel devices running Android 14. More specifically, those who set up multiple profiles on their Pixel 6 got hit pretty hard. Google released a patch in November, but it looks like the January Play System update has brought that storage bug back from the dead.
"The internal storage access issue from October 2023 is happening again after applying the Jan 2024 Google Play system update," a Reddit user wrote. "The symptoms are all the same - internal storage not getting mounted, camera crashes, Files app shows no files, screenshots not getting saved, internal storage shows up empty in ADB Shell, etc."
We've reached out to Google for a statement but haven't heard back from the company at this time.
In a statement to 9to5Google, a Google representative said the company is aware of the problem and investigating the bug. However, there's no word on when a fix will be released or whether Google might snatch back the January update.
