How to Prevent Android Pie From Updating With Error on Your Pixel XL
If you’re a Pixel XL user and haven’t been in a rush to update your phone to Android Pie, you might want to ditch it entirely.
According to numerous user reports , the recent rollout of Android Pie prevents the Pixel XL from quickly charging even when a Quick Charge compatible cable is connected to an appropriate power source.
If you happen to be one of those already updated and are having problems with fast charging, you may not be in luck at the moment. Although a report on the issue with fast charging was noted on the Google Issue Tracker page , the application has been closed and the outlook is disappointing at the moment.
The report has been marked as “not correct (impossible)”. In simple terms, this means that Google is aware of this problem and is currently unable to fix it, although the reasons for this outcome are unclear. Other reports were presented, including one on the 5-inch pixel.
In a statement made by Ars Technica , a Google spokesperson said the company is “aware of an issue where non-Power Delivery (PD) USB-C chargers can no longer quickly charge the 2016 Pixel and Pixel XL after updating to Android 9 Pie. … “
Google recommends using the original 18W charger that came with the Pixel XL at retail as it “is a PD charger and does not exhibit this behavior.” The company also said it is “testing a fix for non-PD USB-C chargers and will release it in the coming weeks.”
While this is good news for users who have already updated their Pixel XL, for those who haven’t, it probably makes sense to postpone the update to Android Pie and make sure the update doesn’t happen without your permission.
To help you with that, here’s how to turn off notifications and automatic updates on your Google Pixel XL so that it doesn’t update before Google releases a fix:
Disable system update notifications
If your Pixel XL receives a notification that a system update is available, it will regularly show toast notifications to let you know it’s ready to download. This can be annoying, especially if you’ve decided to skip the Android Pie update in response to the fast charging bug reports.
To prevent the update from showing, just hold or slide the banner in the notification menu to open the app and notification settings, and turn off notifications from Google Play services.
Similarly, you can do this by opening System Preferences, then Apps & Notifications, and then Notifications.
Scroll down to the Google Play Services app and tap to open its settings page, where you can turn off notifications.
Please note that this will disable not only system update notifications, but all notifications from Google Play services, including update reminders for any Google apps on your phone.
There are also third-party apps that can be downloaded from the Google Play store that claim to disable the system update notification, but like the above method, this will only stop the notification from showing, but won’t prevent the phone from automatically updating. Luckily, there is a built-in workaround that will prevent your Pixel XL from automatically updating.
Disable automatic system updates
First, open System Preferences and open the System tab.
Scroll down and tap About Phone.
At the bottom of the About Phone screen is the Build Number option. Choosing this usually does nothing, but if you hit the option 10 times in a row, you put the phone into “developer mode”. You will know that you are getting closer to unlocking Developer Mode when the pop-up message “press [x] again to become a developer” and “you become a developer” appears as soon as the mode is enabled.
In developer mode, go back to the System tab. You will now find a new option in the list called Developer Options.
In the developer options, scroll down to find the automatic system update option. This is usually included. To turn it off, tap the slider icon so it turns gray. You have disabled automatic updates.
These steps should keep you on the version of Android your Pixel is currently running on, and not use Pie for now while we wait for Google to release a fix.