Android 14 recently arrived on Pixel phones with many new features, changes and improvements. However, many Pixel users have reported issues with the latest update, especially on older models. One such bug on Android 14 is the Storage Access issue, which prevents users from accessing media stored on their phones. Google has now acknowledged the issue and is working on a fix.
What Is The Android 14 Storage Access Issue?
The Android 14 storage access issue prevents users from accessing the media on their phones, meaning they cannot see their photos, audio or videos stored on the device.
It occurs when multiple user profiles, including users, guests, restricted profiles and child users, are set up on the device. However, it does not affect users using more than one Google account in a profile.
The Android 14 storage access issue primarily affects Google Pixel 6 and later models with multiple user profiles set up, according to the company’s blog post. Moreover, it can prevent the primary user from accessing the media on their phone or reboot the device with a “Factory data reset” message.
If the user accepts the factory reset request, it will erase the data stored in the phone, and if he rejects the request, the phone repeatedly reboots with the message “Pixel is starting”.
Google Working On Update To Fix The Issue
Google has now acknowledged the Android 14 storage issue and issued a Google Play system update that prevents it from occurring on other devices. You can check for updates by going into Settings->Security & Privacy->System & Update->Google Play System Update.
The company says for users already affected by the Android 14 storage issue, a system update will fix it and restore access to their media files without needing a factory reset. However, if you are facing the “Pixel is restarting” boot loop, then Google says it is investigating methods to help users recover the data.
Furthermore, the company says those who have already factory reset their device should avoid creating a secondary user profile on their phone to avoid the issue until an update is available.