Some Pixel owners have been re-seeded the Android 12 update
After months of beta testing, Google released Android 13 to AOSP and started rolling out the update for all compatible Pixel phones from August 15. If you are a Pixel owner, you are first in line to receive the OTA update on your device. However, if a new software shows up on your Google-branded phone, don’t get too excited thinking it’s the latest version of Android. Many Pixel users report that instead of Android 13, Android 12 is showing up for download on their device.
twitter and the r/GooglePixel subreddit are filled with reports from Pixel users who have received a 2GB Android 12 update on their phones. It’s not a case of Google pushing the wrong changelog with the latest release of Android, though. Some Pixel owners who were brave enough to download and install the update report that their phone re-installed Android 12 instead of the latest release of the OS. And the update seemingly does not bump the OS build number as well.
Some users also report that the Android 13 update first appeared on their phone, but when they went to download it a few hours later, Android 12 was pushed instead. In some cases, Android 13 appeared for download after reinstalling the older version of the OS. Primarily Pixel 6 users seem to be affected by the issue, though some Pixel 4a and 5a owners are also being seeded the accidental Android 12 build. The problem does not seem to be widespread, but it affects a sizeable number of Pixel owners.
If you are in the same boat as other Pixel users, you can try restarting your phone to see if Android 13 shows up for download on your phone. If not, you need to wait until the big G addresses the issue from its end. We have also reached out to Google for a comment on the matter. Until then, consider reading our exhaustive Android 13 review to get an idea of everything new in the latest release of the OS.