Amidst the ongoing issue of some Pixel devices running multiple profiles encountering a device storage bug upon installing the latest Google Play System update, the company has decided to halt the rollout to avoid further damage.
The issues that were initially reported include the internal storage not being mounted, camera crashes, the Files app not showing files, and screenshots not being saved. Some users have had to resort to factory resets to resolve the problems. These are the same issues that affected Pixel devices with more than one user profile last year.
As is usually the case, these bugs are usually discovered when affected users flock to sites like Reddit to share their experiences. This time it was no different, and it appears that Google took notice and acknowledged the issue.
An official Google account, named /u/PixelCommunity, chimed in on the most active thread documenting the problem, and confirmed that Google is aware of the issue and actively investigating. Additionally, Android expert Mishaal Rahman states that, according to a source, Google has completely halted the rollout of the January 2024 Google Play System Update, which is apparently to be blamed.
Google has halted the rollout of the January 2024 GPSU following reports of devices having file access issues.
Over the past few days, several users on Reddit, particularly those with Pixel phones, have faced issues with file access. The internal storage isn’t being mounted,… pic.twitter.com/XiqUhkZBWD
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) January 23, 2024
Considering this same issue occurred only three months ago, one must wonder why these issues are not being caught at the Q/A level. However, according to Rahman, this time Google has found the root cause, and that it may be related to the Dynamic Common Library Apex (DCLA). DCLA is a mechanism used by Mainline, which helps reduce the overall size of software updates by placing shared C++ libraries into a separate module. In some cases, it appears that the DCLA Mainline module is reverting to its factory version, causing compatibility issues with other DCLA-enabled modules.
To address the issue temporarily, Google has reportedly turned off DCLA functionality briefly, so that this problem doesn’t happen again. This will make some modules bigger, but it should fix the dependency problem and, hopefully, keep users from being affected in any other way.
