Google's Pixel phones are having storage issues again

Storage problems are back on Google’s Pixel phones, it seems. This time around the culprit seems to be the January Google Play system update. Don’t confuse this with the January security update.

Google’s Pixel phones are having storage issues again, a repeat from last year

Now, why did I say “again”? Well, many of you probably know that Pixel phones had a storage issue back in October. When Android 14 arrived it affected quite a few users. They were not able to access data stored on internal storage.

The same is the case now, as a result of a new bug. Users are once again reporting that they’re unable to access internal storage across all apps. This is causing a number of issues, of course. They’re unable to take new pictures, for example, and the Files app seems to be empty somehow. Various apps are unable to function due to this issue.

The problem is happening on the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8 series phones

Just to be clear, the issue seems to be popping up on the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8 series devices. At the time of writing this article, the Google Play system update for January wasn’t really rolling out widely, so the issue may not be as widespread.

Google will likely halt the rollout until it’s able to figure out what’s going on. Needless to say, this is not a small problem. It’s a problem that can render your phone useless for a number of actions. It can easily confuse and enrage people, especially those who don’t understand what’s going on.

Google is aware of the issue

The good news is, a Google spokesperson did acknowledge the issue. He/she said: “We’re aware of this issue and are looking into it”, reports 9to5Google.

It remains to be seen how long will it take for Google to fix this, but let’s hope it’ll happen soon. The company has a history of resurfacing bugs on Pixel phones, unfortunately. Let’s hope that’ll change in the future.