Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Some Pixel owners have noticed that major phone systems have stopped working following a recent system update.
- Pixel 10 phones appear most in the reports we’ve seen, but some Pixel 8 handsets also may be affected.
- Impacted devices report failures with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and camera functionality.
We all hear those horror stories: Someone goes to install an update, naively assuming that an update could only make things better, only to lose critical functionality when something goes wrong. It’s not enough to scare us off updates altogether, but it definitely feels like we hear about it happening more often than we should. This week, Pixel owners are looking for answers, as many try to diagnose the problems they’re suddenly facing.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority?
Over the past few we days, we’ve been clocking a concerning number of reports from Pixel owners whose phones have stopped operating as expected — and in most of these, shortly after installing an update.
It looks like Pixel 10-series devices are leading those reports, although we’re also seeing mention of Pixel 8 models, so it’s not immediately clear what the entire scope of affected phones is here. Impacted users report losing a number of major systems, but the ones we keep seeing over and over are Bluetooth and Wi-Fi breaking, as well as often the phone’s camera. Pixel owners like Reddit users Kindly_Cress4670, PorcupineTreeClimber, and Wandering–Seal all share similar stories — and they are far from alone.
A lot of related comments have been popping up on Google’s Pixel community forums. There, Pixel 8 Pro owner Julas23 shares evidence suggesting that Google Play Services may be involved, and specifically, that phones are getting into a state where background processes open too many files at once, interfering with other systems.
Have you experienced any major glitches with a recent Pixel update?
2 votes
Google appears aware of these reports, but so far, we haven’t seen any public response — nor anything resembling a fix. We’ll keep an eye out for any incoming statements or advice on remediating the issues, and update you with anything we learn.
If you’ve got a Pixel phone, take a moment and let us know in the poll above if you’re among the affected users — we’d love to get a better sense of just how widespread these problems are. We’d also love to hear from you in the comments below — tell us which Pixel phone you’re using, and exactly what’s broken for you.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.
