First Google Pixel Fold factory images now available

Now that the Google Pixel Fold is officially out, that means it’s time for some fresh factory images. And Google did release those on launch day, which was Tuesday. So if you need to restore your Pixel Fold back to factory settings and you can’t just do a factory reset, you can download the factory image and flash it onto your Pixel Fold.

For most people, you’ll really never need to use these factory images. They are really only needed if you flashed a custom ROM or really messed up your phone. Personally, I haven’t flashed a factory image in many years. And I’m sure many can say the same thing.

But, Google has released them, as they need to since Android is open sourced. There are three versions. The first one with the launch software, another one with the day one update. And then a third build number that’s for Japan users.

What is a factory image?

Quite simply, a factory image is the full software build that comes on the Pixel Fold, straight out of the box. So this is without any user data, apps, or anything. It’s a good way to make your Pixel Fold feel like brand new (though you can do this in settings without flashing the image).

For the majority of you, you’ll never need to use the factory image, but it is good that Google releases it. It also released the Pixel Tablet factory images on day one. As well as the Pixel 7a, and older Pixel devices too.

Google does make it easy to flash the factory image, thanks to the Android Flash Tool, which is a web pap that makes installing updates and fixing your phone a breeze. You will still need to have a laptop or desktop available to do this. But this means that you can do it on something like a Chromebook, which you couldn’t before.