The update fiasco around the Pixel 6 smartphones has not come to an end and is currently even getting worse – but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Affected users have high hopes for the upcoming update, where Google has hopefully carried out more extensive tests. Nevertheless, an apology to the users would be appropriate to save the image.
A few days ago I published my assessment that Google is downright destroying the Pixel 6 smartphones with the bad updates and thereby tearing down a lot of things that have been built up over the past few years. At the time of publication, it was already forewarned that the January security update for the Pixel 6 smartphones will not arrive on time and will probably take until the end of January. And that’s exactly how it happened.
There is light at the end of the tunnel because Google is promising the next update from next week. The emphasis is on “from” because it should be rolled out in batches and will probably not actually reach all users before the end of January. At the same time, the December update was completely withdrawn. This means that the Neo owners of a current Pixel 6 flagship will still be at the security level of November 2021 in mid-January 2022! With all other smartphone brands, the whining would be at a high level, but Google has different self-imposed standards.
I hope both for the users and in the interests of Google’s Pixel 6 plans that the delayed January update will be the big hit that fixes all important problems in one fell swoop and makes the smartphones usable for all users. It is to be hoped that the update will be tested extensively and the contact with those affected gives hope that this has been done in the sense of a broad test. But that can’t be all.
Apparently many users affected
It is still unclear how many users are affected by these problems. Surprised users keep getting in touch, including on our blog, who only know these problems from the media. If only a very small group of users were affected, Google would not invest such a comparatively large amount of effort. As usual, one would speak of “few affected”, which in this case, however, has never been done. The update would also not be paused and completely withdrawn later. The circle of those affected seems to be very large, even if there are no reliable numbers.
How can Google make up for that?
Of course, users can expect Google to fix the problems as quickly as possible. But you should do a little more to put the user back in a mild mood and to save the image of the really important Pixel 6 generation: How about another year of security or Android updates? A preference for the next updates? It is to be expected that Pixel 6 users will have to wait longer in the future due to the Tensor SoC. A voucher for the Google Store? Free storage on Google Photos?
There are a few ways to make the whole thing forgotten. You shouldn’t forget that the network problem, in particular, wasn’t a minor stumbling block, but that in the worst-case scenario, the smartphones were virtually unusable outside of the WLAN and certainly could not be used as a telephone. After these experiences, who is still interested in the Pixel 7 or Pixel 8? With a little goodwill, marketing and customer service could certainly save something. We can be curious whether there will be anything more than just warm words.
That was exactly the trigger again: The communication. The best compensation in the long term would be to offer users more transparency. Especially when basic functions are affected. You can do better with the Pixel 6.