Google Pixel 6 owners beware: Android 15 could brick your phone

The issue could be connected to the new Private Space feature

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Android 15appears to contain a bug that may brick certainGoogle Pixel 6models, meaning owners may want to hold off on updating to the latest version ofGoogle’s mobileoperating system.

AsAndroid Policereports, the catastrophic bug has caused some Pixel 6 handsets to become completely unresponsive unexpectedly, with no clear fix in sight.

Several threads in the Reddit community r/GooglePixel have noted issues after updating to Android 15, with useru/GegoBytereporting that their phone had failed after enabling the Private Space feature.

Private Space is a new feature in Android 15 that allows users to keep a selection of apps and files in a locked profile. It’s not yet clear why this would cause the phone to brick, but the feature is apparently somewhat resource intensive, requiring a phone with at least 6GB of RAM to function.

This latest bug is, regrettably, not the first bricking issue to affect the Pixel 6 lineup. In July, reports surfaced of Pixel 6 phones bricking after a factory reset, and last yearForbesreported that updating to Android 14 had cost some users access to their local files and caused boot-looping.

It’s also not the only issue Pixel users are reporting with Android 15 –PhoneArenareported problems with the back gesture on thePixel 8 Pro.

Additionally, across several models the Android 15 update rendered the Instagram app unusable (though there is a fix on the way).

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Google released its stable version of Android 15 to Pixel phones on October 15. The Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6a are the oldest Pixel models to receive the update.

Other phone makers likeMotorolaandOnePlushave either begun or announced the rollout of Android 15, which will give us a chance to see whether these issues are exclusive to Google’s Pixel family or because of faults with Android 15 itself.

We’ll update this article with any confirmed fixes. Until then, be sure to keep up with ourGoogle Pixel phones coverageandAndroid coveragefor the latest updates.

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Jamie is a Mobile Computing Staff Writer for TechRadar, responsible for covering phones and tablets. He’s been tech-obsessed from a young age and has written for various news and culture publications. Jamie graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Since starting out as a music blogger in 2020, he’s worked on local news stories, finance trade magazines, and multimedia political features. He brings a love for digital journalism and consumer technology to TechRadar. Outside of the TechRadar office, Jamie can be found binge-watching tech reviews, DJing in local venues around London, or challenging friends to a game of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

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