December Pixel update seems to break screensaver low light mode for many users

Google’s December 2025 update for Pixel phones appears to have broken the screensaver low light mode for multiple users across several models, with complaints popping up on Reddit and Google’s support forums.​

The biggest change? Pixel 10 Pro owners say an entire setting just vanished.

Before the update, the low light mode menu offered two options: show a dimmed clock or turn the screen off completely in dark environments. Now, that second option to turn off the screen is completely gone, and users report the screen stays on no matter how dark the room gets.​

But it’s not just the Pixel 10 Pro.

Users with the Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a, Pixel 9a, and even the Pixel 6a are reporting their screensavers are stuck showing a bright digital clock that ignores whatever style they’ve selected. One Reddit user noted their analog clock screensaver now forces a digital clock instead, and the preview in settings looks correct, but the actual behavior doesn’t match.​

The low light mode itself seems broken across the board. Screensavers that used to dim properly in dark rooms now stay at full brightness, and some clocks are staying static in the center of the display instead of floating around to prevent burn-in.​

One frustrated Pixel 10 Pro owner even did a factory reset hoping it would restore the missing “turn off screen” option. It didn’t.​

So far, Google’s official response has been pretty standard: contact support or submit feedback through the device settings. There’s been no acknowledgment of a known bug or any timeline for a fix, which is frustrating given how many people are affected.​

Some users have found temporary workarounds, like enabling the “Keep the screen dark” option during bedtime mode, but that’s hardly ideal. Another suggestion is to turn off the “Low-light mode” toggle entirely and rely on the clock’s built-in “Night mode” setting instead, though results seem mixed.​

Now we’re waiting to see if Google will address this in a patch, or if users will have to wait until the January update to get their screensavers working properly again.

That said, the screensaver bug isn’t the only headache from December’s update. Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro owners are also dealing with Pixel Stand charging issues after the patch, with the Gen 2 stand randomly stopping mid-charge or flashing error lights for devices that worked fine before.

On the brighter side, Google did add a new toggle to disable enhanced HDR brightness in this update, giving users more control over their display settings. It’s a mixed bag: some long-requested features finally arriving, while other basic functions like screensavers and wireless charging suddenly break.