How to Downgrade from Android 14 to Android 13 on Google Pixel

Google Pixel owners can test the unreleased Android version before other brands. You can test new features, improvements, design changes, and other tweaks before most people. Though it sounds exciting, it’s only until you start facing serious issues. In that case, you would want to downgrade your phone to the previous version. In this post, we’ll tell you how to downgrade from Android 14 to Android 13 on Google Pixel phones.

As of writing this post, Google has dropped Android 14 Developer Preview 1 to eligible Pixel devices. Only Android developers are recommended to install the Developer Preview builds because they are most likely to have serious bugs and issues, which can break several functions. According to several reports, the first Developer Preview version of Android 14 is causing issues with the calling function. The phone app reportedly crashed every time a user tried to make a call.

A Reddit user wrote that when the adaptive battery option is enabled in Android 14 Developer Preview 1, it automatically gets disabled when you leave the setting and return to the toggle.

These are some issues discovered in the first Developer Preview of Android 14. The number is likely to go up as more users test the build. If you are among the early testers of Android 14 and getting frustrated with the issues it has brought to your Google Pixel, you could consider downgrading to Android 13.

How to Downgrade from Android 14 to Android 13 on Google Pixel: Two Methods

This section contains detailed instructions on downgrading a Google Pixel from Android 14 to Android 13. In this guide, we have discussed two methods of downgrading your Google Pixel. You can go with any of the two to downgrade to Android 13.

Before directly going to the downgrading steps, fulfil the below prerequisites for a smoother process.

Step 1: Backup Your Google Pixel

Downgrading your Google Pixel will delete all your data (photos, videos, documents, etc.) and installed applications. Take a complete backup of your Android phone to avoid any data loss. You can either transfer your data to a PC or use cloud backup solutions such as IDrive, BLACK BLAZE, or Acronis True Image.

Step 2: Install Android SDK on Your PC

You’ll need to install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your computer to make an ADB connection between the two devices. It is required to have Android SDK Platform Tools to run ADB and fastboot commands. Click here to know how to install Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. Once downloaded, extract it to get the platform-tools folder.

Step 3: Enable USB Debugging

You need to enable USB debugging on your Google Pixel to make it recognizable by your PC. It is required while setting up the ADB connection. This option can be found under the Developer options menu, which is hidden by default. Here’s how to enable Developer options and USB Debugging:

1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
2. Click About phone.
3. Tap 7 times on the build number. It will unhide the Developer options menu.
4. Go back to the Settings page.
5. Tap on System and click Developer options.

Step 4: Unlock the Bootloader

Your Google Pixel should have an unlocked bootloader in order to downgrade it from Android 14 to Android 13. If you have unlocked the bootloader of your Pixel before, no need to unlock it again. However, if you have not unlocked it yet, check out this detailed guide on how to do it.

Method 1: Downgrade Google Pixel to Android 13 via Android Flash Tool

Follow these steps to downgrade your Google Pixel from Android 14 to Android via the Android Flash Tool:

1. Connect your Google Pixel to the PC via a USB cable.

2. Open the Android Flash Tool website on your PC and tap on Get Started.

3. Click Allow ADB Access on your computer.

If your PC shows an “Additional software needed for Windows” message, you’ll need to download an Android USB driver for your PC. Click here to go to the download page. If the message appears even after installing the driver, click Already installed to ignore the warning.

4. Tap on Add new device.

5. Select your Google Pixel phone on the popup screen and click Connect.

6. You should see a USB Debugging prompt on your phone. Click Allow.

7. Select the Android 13 build you want to install. It is recommended to go with the latest build.

8. For the Selected build, click the pencil icon to see available options.

9. If you want to lock the bootloader, keep the “Lock Bootloader” box checked. Otherwise uncheck it.

10. Click Install build and on the next screen click Confirm.

11. The Android Flash Tool will now download and flash the selected Android 13 build on your Google Pixel.

12. You should get notified when the flashing is done. During this process, your phone will boot to Fastboot and FastbootD modes.

Do not remove the USB cable or close the Android Flash Tool window on your PC until the flashing process is complete. Once done, remove the device and your phone should have Android 13 OS.

If, for some reason, this method does not work on your phone, try using the fastboot method that we’ve detailed below.

Method 2: Downgrade Google Pixel to Android 13 via Fastboot

Follow the steps in the same order to downgrade your Google Pixel from Android 14 to Android 13:

1. Download the Android 13 factory image for your Google Pixel.

[Note: Do not download the OTA image]

2. Extract the downloaded file into the platform tools folder. This folder is usually located in the C drive on your computer.

3. Connect your phone to the PC via a USB cable.

4. Go to the platform tools folder, type CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter.

5. Run the following command to boot your Google Pixel to fastboot mode

adb reboot bootloader

6. Go to the extracted folder in the platform-tools folder and double-tap on the flash-all batch file to begin the flashing process.

7. Your Google Pixel will boot to Fastboot and FastbootD modes during the process.

8. Once the flashing process completes, you will be notified of the same on the command window.

Your Google Pixel phone now has Android 13 OS. Cheers!

Wrapping It Up

Like every Android release, the latest Android 14 is also an exciting upgrade. But, as of writing this post, Android 14 is only intended for developers as only Developer Preview versions are released. Once Developer preview releases are complete, Google will push beta updates, which are slightly more stable than Developer Preview builds. Once the beta phase is complete, the stable build gets released.

We hope you are having a good time with your phone after downgrading it to Android 13 from Android 14. Why did you want to downgrade your Google Pixel? Share your thoughts about Android 14 in the comments section below.