Pixel 10 Pro XL owners locked out after September update
Pixel 10 Pro XL owners are among a small group of users who got locked out of their phones after installing Google's September 2022 update. Some can't finish drawing their pattern, while a Pixel 8a owner saw their PIN rejected after one digit, which is a rough look for what we consider some of the best Google Pixel phones around.
The September Pixel update is rejecting patterns and PINs
The first report came from a Pixel 10 Pro XL owner on Reddit, who explained that the pattern resets after just two dots, no matter which dot they start from. They tried restarting, Safe Mode, cleaning the screen, a USB mouse through an adapter and even sideloading the same Android build, but nothing worked until a factory reset.
However, a PIN isn't a guaranteed escape either, since a Pixel 8a owner reported their phone throwing a wrong PIN error after the very first digit, and a new report points to a Pixel 8 Pro doing the same.
How would you handle a Pixel that locked you out after an update?
0 Votes
Factory reset right away, my stuff is backed up
Wait on Google support, I can't lose my data
Switch to an iPhone or Galaxy after a lockout
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Why a locked Pixel usually ends in a factory reset
What makes a lockout worse than most bugs is how Android protects your data. According to Android's own documentation, most of your files live in what Google calls Credential Encrypted storage, and the key to it is derived from your PIN, pattern or password.
In plain words, your lock screen doubles as part of the key that unlocks your files, so nobody (Google included) can simply skip it to pull your photos out. That's why Google's own support page points locked-out owners toward erasing the phone, with the only silver lining being that anything backed up to your Google Account can be restored afterward.
As for Galaxy and iPhone owners, this one is purely a Pixel firmware problem, so there's nothing to worry about on your end. Our Pixel 10 Pro XL review scored its software an 8 out of 10, just under the 8.2 average for its price class, and a streak of bugs like this one won't help Google close that gap with Samsung and Apple.
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Should you hold off on the September Pixel update?
For now, this looks like a rare bug that isn't hitting every Pixel, so I wouldn't panic if your phone already updated and unlocks normally. But if the September update is still waiting for you, it might be wise to wait a few days and see if Google patches the issue before installing it.