Android 13 has been out for a couple of weeks now, but for any developers looking to continue working with Android 12, it came with a bit of a surprise. Thanks to a vulnerability found in an older bootloader version, Android users can't downgrade their devices once they've upgraded, keeping them on the latest OS for good. Thankfully, for developers stuck without access to last year's version, Google has an all-new update that allows testing out apps and games without running on an unsafe bootloader.

Today, Google uploaded new Developer Support versions of Android 12 and 12L for the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6a. These updates aren't intended for general audiences — you won't find them on the company's system image site — but are instead meant to combine older builds of Android with an updated bootloader, one that isn't susceptible to that vulnerability that requires anti-rollback measures in the first place.

According to Google, any model in the Pixel 6 series running Android 13 can install either the Android 12 or 12L Developer Support images, officially circumventing the downgrade block put in place earlier this month. These builds are meant to match the experience seen on any other Android 12 device — say, that of a Pixel 6 user who has yet to hit the update button. Still, Google includes several caveats and warnings, including the following:

  • Developer Support builds are for developers only and aren't suitable for general use.
  • Devices using developer support builds don't receive OTA security updates like other devices, and Developer Support images aren't rebuilt with the latest security fixes. Only an updated bootloader version is included, with its own security fixes and an incremented anti-rollback counter.
  • Developer Support builds aren't Compatibility Test Suite (CTS)‑approved, but they have passed preliminary testing and provide a stable set of APIs for developers. Apps that depend on CTS-approved builds or use SafetyNet APIs might not work normally on Android 12 Developer Support builds.

As Google mentions in the list above, neither build is based on the latest security patch. The Android 12 image includes February's fixes, while the Android 12L update is based on July's improvements. Both dates are the final security patches issued prior to an API level jump.

If you're a dev without a Pixel 6 series device, or you're a regular user frustrated with Google's latest OS, you're still out of luck when it comes to downgrading back to Android 12.

Thanks: Eduardo