[Update: Dec. 07] Unlocked Verizon Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 6 units not getting OTA update? Here's what you need to do

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…

Original story (published on November 08, 2021) follows:

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro hit the market in October. Since then, early adopters have been reporting some points for improvement, which you can check out in our dedicated bug/issues tracker.

Now, users who bought a Google Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro through Verizon report that they are not receiving updates, even if their phones are unlocked.

It seems that the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro purchased through Verizon are having problems with the update system (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12).

I received my Pixel 6 Pro (Unlocked but on Verizon) 2 days ago and have been waiting on this ‘day 1 update (SD1A.210817.036)’ ever since (manually checking an update several times a day). Google’s support website states that the update would be deployed as staged rollouts but indicated it would be available by 10/28. It’s 10/30.
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Unlocked Pixel 6 Pro on Verizon. Still no “day one update”.

Is this happening with anyone else? There was supposed to be a big update on day 1, but I am still stuck on the previous release.

This is the first device I haven’t rooted, so I am not used to waiting for updates. I buy Pixels for prompt updates. Is this a Google issue or a Verizon issue?
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Users affected by this problem are especially concerned because there is a ‘day 1 update’ that solves some bugs and glitches in the system, but they have not yet received.

It should be noted that, according to the Verizon support page, the aforementioned ‘day 1 update’ is available from October 28. But, the affected users do not receive the OTA availability notification.

A Google product expert helped clarify the situation. It seems that there is an issue with the builds of the Google Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro purchased through Verizon.

This issue results in users not receiving updates due to build compilation inconsistencies. Basically, the unlocked Pixel 6 from Verizon have a global build, and needs a VZW build to receive updates.

Taking into account the above, and according to a Google product expert, the solution to the problem is to manually flash/sideload a Verizon build (VZW) on your unlocked Verizon device.

For your phone to have an upgrade path, it needs to be on the proper build for that carrier, so for VZW, to get the VZW Nov build (SD1A.210817.036.A8), your phone needs to be on the VZW Oct build (SD1A.210817.019.C4).

So check your Android version under settings > about phone, if your phone is not on SD1A.210817.019.C4, you won’t get the update.
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Basically, you must replace the global build (SD1A.210817.019.C2) with the November Verizon Build (SD1A.210817.036.A8).

For that, you will need two things: the ADB + Fastboot drivers (which you can easily install with this file) and the build with the Verizon November patch (Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro).

You can find the complete list of builds for both devices in the official Google repository.

With the above, you will have everything you require to proceed. It is not yet known if the need to do this process is temporary, or if it will be a perpetual requirement for all Pixel 6 phones purchased through Verizon.

But, if there is any change in the Unlocked Verizon Pixel 6 update situation, we will update this article with the relevant information.

IST 12:21 pm: A Pixel 6 Pro user on Verizon now reports that they’ve received an update from C2 to A8. Here’s to hoping that the same happens to Pixel 6 owners on Verizon.

IST 12:40 pm: The December 2021 update is rolling out to Pixel devices and is promising to fix the issue that occasionally prevents OTA updates to install.

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