Update 5 (November 15, 2023)

11:35 am (IST): Recent reports on Reddit indicate that this issue is also affecting the latest Google Pixel 8 Pro units.

Update 4 (December 29, 2022)

11:47 am (IST): It seems that the Android 13 December patch hasn’t fixed the ‘Tap to wake’ function either, as reports (1,2,3) still keep pouring in.

Update 3 (December 07, 2022)

01:07 pm (IST): The issue where ‘Tap to wake’ wasn’t working on Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 devices has been fixed with December 2022 update.

Update 2 (November 22, 2022)

12:53 pm (IST): It seems that some Pixel 7 (1,2,3,4) users are also facing an issue where the ‘Tap to Wake’ function is not working for them.

Update 1 (August 19, 2022)

07:00 pm (IST): According to a user, the issue with ‘Tap to Wake’ function was already resolved in Pixel 6 May 2022 update.

Original story follows:

The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are the company’s latest flagship smartphones. Both devices arrived last October.

The Pixel series usually receives new Android updates ahead of phones from other brands. However, for some unknown reason, other Pixel models often receive Android updates faster than the Pixel 6.

Android 12L stable update came to Google Pixel phones in March under the name of Android 12.1. The update in question brought a lot of bug fixes and performance tweaks, but it seems that it also brought some problems.

According to multiple reports, Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro users are facing an issue where the ‘Tap to Wake’ function is not working properly after Android 12L update (1, 2).

Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro ‘Tap to Wake’ not working

As its name suggests, ‘Tap to Wake’ is a feature that allows you to wake up the phone’s screen by double tapping on it instead of pressing the power button.

But, currently many Pixel 6 and 6 Pro users cannot turn on the device screen using ‘Tap to Wake’.

google-pixel-6-6-pro-tap-to-wake-not-working-android-12l-1
Source

Won’t Tap to wake

I just purchased a Google pixel 6 pro. I noticed the fingerprint sensor almost useless with it’s reliability in operating correctly.

I also noticed, after the device has been in my pocket, when I go to use the device the screen is completely unresponsive. Can’t tap to wake, doesn’t sense it’s being removed from the pocket, so always on display doesn’t show, fingerprint sensor doesn’t even try to scan my fingerprint.
Source

In some cases, Google Pixel 6 series ‘Tap to Wake’ works correctly just after turning off the screen, but stops working if the screen has been off for a while.

double tap to wake not working reliably

Starting yesterday something changed and the double tap to wakey screen doesn’t function if the phone has been dark for a while. Works like a charm if i just put it down but won’t wake after some indeterminate period of time. Quite annoying. Does anyone have anything similar going on? Know a fix? Restart doesn’t seem to be fixing it this time.
Source

At the moment, the only way to wake the screen without problems for affected users is to press the power button.

The issue reportedly started after Android 12L stable update

Apparently the ‘Tap to Wake’ issues started with the arrival of Android 12L stable update (Android 12.1).

google-pixel-6-6-pro-tap-to-wake-not-working-android-12l-2
Source

Double tap to wake broken since 12L update

Used to work no problem but ever since the march update, it only works for a few seconds after manually locking the phone. After a minute or so however, the phone will only wake up if I press the power button, the double tab on the screen has no effect. Tried toggling on/off and restarting. Anyone else experiencing this?
Source

At the moment there is no official acknowledgment of the issue from Google. There is also no workaround to help mitigate it.

But we will update this story once new events arise on the subject.

NOTE: You can also check the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro bugs/issues tracker.

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Jean Leon
1613 Posts

A tech enthusiast since ever. I like to always be up to date on the latest news in the industry and write about it. Twitter: @jean_ERdC

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