![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/google-pixel-10-series-pro-xl-fold-family-2.jpg\"\/ "\\"google")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
TL;DR<\/p>\n
Google\u2019s May 2026 update for the Pixel 10 series blocks downgrades to older Android versions by updating the bootloader.
\nUsers say devices can become unrecoverable if they enter certain recovery modes without access to Google\u2019s internal tools.
\nThe issue has been raised for years, but Google has yet to provide a solution for affected users.<\/p>\n
Google has rolled out the May Pixel update<\/a>, bringing with it a change to the Pixel 10 series that prevents users from downgrading their devices to older Android versions. This was expected to happen<\/a>, and now it\u2019s officially in place.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/p>\n A warning on the company\u2019s developer page<\/a> confirms that the update includes a bootloader change that increments the anti-rollback version. This means that after installing the May update, Pixel 10 series devices can no longer flash and boot older Android 16 builds.<\/p>\n The move builds on Android\u2019s existing anti-rollback protection, part of the Verified Boot framework, which is designed to prevent devices from running potentially harmful or vulnerable software. While this isn\u2019t new for Pixel phones, the rollout has once again highlighted a long-standing issue for developers and advanced users.<\/p>\n The problem isn\u2019t just about losing the ability to downgrade to an older Android build. Users say that if a Pixel enters certain deeper recovery states, the phone can effectively become unusable. This can happen in various scenarios, like when you\u2019re flashing a factory image or an OTA, and something breaks midway.<\/p>\n Internal Google teams have recovery tools or signed recovery images needed to restore devices from these states, but external, regular users don\u2019t have access to them.<\/p>\n As a Telegram leaks channel, Mystic Leaks<\/a> points out, complaints about this limitation have been raised on Google\u2019s Issue<\/a> Tracker<\/a> for a while, but Google hasn\u2019t taken cognizance of them.<\/p>\n So while the May update for the Pixel 10 series improves security by preventing rollbacks to older software, it also reduces flexibility for some users and increases the risk of ending up with a device that can\u2019t be recovered easily.<\/p>\n![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768233971_656_google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768233972_401_google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Pixel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Pixel-10-anti-rollback-warning.jpg\"\/ "\\"Pixel")
<\/p>\n