Google Pixel owners report a number of bugs and issues after installing Android 14 update

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Fresh reports suggest that multiple Google Pixel users are encountering a lot of issues after installing the Android 14 update. On October 4, Google began rolling out the latest OS to Pixel devices across the globe. Notably, it brings improvements to performance, privacy, security, and much more.

For example, the latest upgrade reduces the CPU consumption to half by freezing cached applications after a short period. In addition, the update brings new camera extensions, lossless USB audio, and support for 10-bit HDR images with Ultra HDR format.

It also adds new graphics capabilities, like custom meshes with vertex and fragment shaders and a hardware buffer renderer for Canvas. However, it appears that the recent update has also introduced bugs and issues.

Pixel owners have reported a myriad of issues that are affecting their experience negatively. Pixel 5 owners complain that their units have become bricked after installing the recent update. Naturally, this is quite surprising, as they have smoothly transitioned through Android 12 and 13 updates.

As per the claims, the device fails to boot properly even after charging the phone or pressing the power button for 30 seconds. However, they do get a connection notification if they connect it to the laptop.

On the other hand, Pixel 6 users are encountering random restarts even when the phone is not in use. They suspect that the device’s power state somehow links to these reboots. According to them, phones restart more frequently when they are not on charging or have low battery levels.

Some individuals have also observed instances where the phone reboots on its own, even when placed on a desk or kept inside the pocket. Luckily, some say they fixed it by disabling the Android System Intelligence and Android System Webview apps. Although, the root cause of the issue is still unknown.

Additionally, people are encountering significant slowdowns, especially when they connect their devices to the charger. They assert that phone animations slow down drastically, making simple activities like closing an app cumbersome. Some are also facing difficulties while scrolling within apps and the home screen post the update.

While others claim to be experiencing difficulties while scrolling vertically or executing the swipe-up gesture to return to the home screen. It has been alleged that the scroll action halts through the motion and reverts to the previous state. And this is certainly bad news for those who now have to manually request dates for their business calendar.

What’s even more disappointing is that some displays have turned completely green or are covered with color lines. For some, a white line appears on the top right corner of the notification area after installing the Android 14 update. They have discovered that the line varies in size, and its intensity changes with the screen brightness. Sadly, the issue persists even after factory resetting the device or re-flashing the image.

For others, the device hangs up quite frequently, time resets to 12:00 after a minute or two, and the screen blurs or turns black time and again. Also, certain functions get disabled after the screen blurs. It turns out that one can only get rid of this problem temporarily by restarting their smartphone. However, the issues pop up again after a few hours.

Nevertheless, the problems don’t end here.

Pixel 7 users are also dealing with a series of vexing issues that are negatively impacting their user experience. They complain that their devices crash, hang, or reboot more frequently after the recent update. It has also been observed that a matrix pattern line appears upon crashing.

In addition, a few are unable to access the fingerprint unlock option on their lock screen, prompting them to resort to the passcode alternative. Strangely, they cannot unlock their phones even by inputting the passcode. Following the Android 14 update, there have also been reports that suggest device’s display keeps flickering even after turning off the adaptive brightness settings.

Some have even noted that their devices occasionally adopt a greenish hue. Despite the visual anomaly, the screen continues to function normally, with a restart temporarily resolving the problem.

Users also believe that a glitch in the YouTube and Netflix apps is causing a considerable loss of vibrancy and luminosity in HDR visuals. And understandably, it leads to a subdued viewing experience.

People are also encountering stuttering issues while scrolling content on apps like Chrome, Facebook, and Reddit, particularly when interacting with video content. Although it was present before, it appears to have intensified with this recent update.

And to make matters worse, a few are even facing problems while trying to charge their smartphones. Allegedly, they keep getting an ‘analog audio accessories detected’ error even when nothing is connected to the phone.

Unfortunately, Google has not yet officially responded or put out a statement for any of the issues mentioned here. But, like with every update, we expect Google to continue rolling out fixes over the next few weeks and months to iron out any bugs and issues introduced with Android 14.

In the meantime, we will keep an eye and update this story as and when we come across anything noteworthy.

Note: You can also check out our dedicated Google Pixel Android 14 bugs and issues tracker.

Featured image source: Google Pixel 7 Series.

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