Google’s September update for Pixels quietly tweaked unlock haptics and not everyone is happy

The recent September update that brought a ton of fixes and improvements for eligible Pixel phones seems to have also introduced something most users didn’t expect: tweaked unlock haptics.

The chatter started bubbling up on platforms like Reddit and Google’s own support forums shortly after the update rolled out. Users began reporting a new haptic pattern. For some, who unlock their phones with a PIN, their device now vibrates when it never did before.

One user on the Google Support forum complained, “Unlocking via PIN never previously caused my phone to vibrate, but now it does… Yes it is extremely bothering.”

Meanwhile, those who use fingerprint unlock are also reporting a change. The familiar single, crisp buzz for a successful unlock has been replaced by a quick double-pulse vibration. Admittedly, like some others, I also never paid attention to this new rapid double-buzz sort of vibration when unlocking. But if my memory serves me correctly, it is indeed new and makes it feel like the fingerprint scan was unsuccessful, if you aren’t looking at the screen.

As a Reddit user on the r/GooglePixel subreddit put it, the new feedback “feels confusing and makes me think the first scan failed before the second pulse confirms a successful unlock.” Another user said it’s “hella awkward” and “makes me uncomfortable with each unlock.”

What adds to the frustration is the lack of a specific toggle to turn this off; the only solution is to disable all haptics and vibrations across the entire system, a dealbreaker for many who rely on it for calls and alarms.

That said, the change has been present since the beta versions of the update, but its arrival in the stable build has brought the issue to a wider audience.

The good news for those bothered by the new buzz is that their complaints appear to have reached Google. In a post on the official Google Issue Tracker, a Googler has confirmed that the reports have been logged and “passed to the development team” for review.

While this doesn’t guarantee a change, it shows the company is aware of the feedback. For now, Pixel users are left to get used to the new feel or hope a future update gives them back the clean, single buzz they preferred.