Users of Pixel phones suddenly can no longer access their files after a system update. Google has come up with a temporary workaround.
For many Google Pixel device users, the January 2024 Google Play system update brought more problems than it solved. Numerous users joined Reddit because they found the lost access to files on the smartphone. As a result, documents, photos and videos cannot be opened.
The problem
Initially it was unclear what caused the problem. Google therefore advised users to postpone the system update for the time being. Affected customers were unable to restore file access themselves, but had to wait for Google to provide a fix. The company is now providing instructions that fix the problem, although some background knowledge is required to make it work.
It is not yet a real solution. Android expert was able to determine that the update caused problems in the DCLA module. This module ensures that software updates can be made smaller. The system update caused that module to use the factory settings again, which caused problems. Google notes that this problem is more common for users with multiple user profiles or a work profile on their phone. Although the problem has not been solved, the company has found a way to work around the problems for the time being.
The solution
To apply the workaround yourself, you will first need to activate your phone’s developer mode. This can be done by navigating to the settings and then navigating to the “about this phone” screen. There you will find the build number of your phone: tap it repeatedly. After a few taps the phone will tell you that you are a developer.
Then, under the system settings, navigate to the developer options. There you activate the USB debugging option. After this, connect the Pixel phone to your PC with a USB cable and choose the file transfer mode.
After that it gets more complicated: you have to download the Platform tools from the developersite of Android and extract that .zip file. Then open a command prompt and navigate to the folder containing the extracted files. Once you get there, enter the command ‘adb devices’. A message will appear on your phone asking for permission, click ‘accept’.
Then you need to enter two commands: `adb uninstall com.google.android.media.swcodec` and `adb uninstall com.google.android.media`. After entering a command, press enter. Only then do you start entering the second command.
Update coming
Have you completed these steps? You can then restart the Pixel to see if the problem has been resolved. Google will later come up with a real solution to the problem, which does not require any technical knowledge. If you cannot wait for that update, you can try to restore file access this way now.
