Here’s the fix for Pixel phones borked by the January update

It’s important to keep up with Google Play System updates for your Android device, and not just to make sure you have the latest features — Google often includes security enhancements and bug fixes to keep you protected from the latest threats. However, not all software updates come without flaws, and that’s exactly what Pixel owners are remembering after Google’s latest update. Due to a bug resulting in storage issues, some Pixel owners are experiencing app crashes, problems saving screenshots, and malfunctioning storage.

Related

Google pauses January Play System Update amid Pixel storage problems

Still no word on when the fix will arrive

Google has now acknowledged the issue in a post on its support forums, and it has provided a temporary fix until it resolves the issue within the root system. It claims that the problem is related to storage, and it’s possible to temporarily restore proper functionality if you’re experiencing the issue on your Pixel device.

First, you need to enable Developer options by going into your device settings, selecting “About phone,” and then tapping on the build number option you see seven times. Upon doing so, a popup should appear that reads, “You are now a developer!” Once this mode is enabled, you should be able to go back into your device settings, select “System,” and then see Developer options. Within this menu, make sure you enable USB debugging, and plug your Pixel device into your computer. If you see a popup telling you that the device is being charged via USB, tap for more options to enable “File transfer.”

From here, Google says you’ll want to download the Android Debug Bridge application from its Android developer page. Once you’ve unzipped it on your computer, open either Terminal or Command, and change your working directory to the platform-tools directory (the location where the tools have been extracted). In Terminal or Command, type in ./adb devices (or simply adb devices on Windows) and press Enter. Then, input ./adb uninstall com.google.android.media.swcodec and press Enter, followed by ./adb uninstall com.google.android.media and Enter (again, drop the ./ on Windows). Now, you can disconnect your Pixel device from your computer and restart it. Afterward, remember to disable developer options in your settings.

Originally, the January 2024 Play System Update was halted when problems were detected within the Dynamic Common Library Apex (DCLA) Mainline Module. Google has not provided a timeline as to when a permanent resolution will be released. While some have managed to resolve the issue by factory resetting their devices, not everyone is willing to do this and lose everything in storage. For now, it might be worth using Google’s latest workaround, if only to avoid that headache.