Attacks on pixel phones: Google has to answer questions

Google is having problems with its Pixel phones. There are said to have been several attacks on private data, accounts and photos via pixel smartphones. Bitter for Google: The unauthorized access occurred after the cell phones were officially sent in for repair.

While the new flagship smartphone Pixel 6 is really well received, its predecessors are rather a shadowy existence. Now the earlier Google smartphones are also causing trouble: In several cases, unauthorized access to private accounts was registered after owners had sent their defective Pixel phones to Google for repairs.

Pixel smartphones: Owners fear private photos

The procedure is clear from an example from the USA: Pixel owner Jane McGonigal claims to have sent in her no longer functional Pixel 5a - without first deleting private data or resetting the system to the delivery state. That was not possible due to the defect (source: The Verge).

According to Google's information, it was initially said that the smartphone had never reached the licensed repair stage. The customer had barely received a replacement device after a few weeks when she discovered unauthorized access: Strangers are said to have searched Gmail accounts and had access to Google Drive and photos. Among other things, bikini photos were accessed, according to McGonigal. Even the system messages for external access, which were sent to a second account, were only then found in the spam folder.

The perpetrators not only circumvented two-factor authentication via their pixel cell phone, but also gained access to connected accounts, thereby overriding security mechanisms. Google confirmed to The Verge that they are currently investigating what happened. The US tech portal writes of at least one other similar case in the past two weeks.

Google may not be to blame, but it has to act anyway

So far, the incidents have been limited to the USA, they cast Google in a bad light. However, it is unclear whether the problem lies with the search engine company. During the delivery or at Google's contract partner for repairs, something can be wrong. Nevertheless: Google is asked to provide clarity.

The current flagship of the Pixel series should do a lot better than its predecessor:

In general, the Android manufacturer recommends that smartphones always be reset to the factory settings before they are sent in. Of course, this does not only apply to Google's official repair service. Even if you go to the repair shop you trust, it doesn't hurt to be safe. Regular backups are required so that you can access your data again later.