Some Google Pixel owners report black screen issues after Android 14 update

For at least a couple of weeks now, several Google Pixel users have been reporting black screen issues after updating their devices to Android 14. So, what was previously excitement about getting all the new features has turned into frustration for those affected.

Although it doesn’t seem to be the most common issue after upgrading to the latest Android version, there are already multiple complaints on the internet describing how the black screen has affected their devices in one way or another. Similarly, multiple complaints have also arisen about green screen flickering or green hue after updating (more on that here).

The ‘black screen of death’ (BSOD) is not exactly new in the smartphone segment, as it can occur randomly and unexpectedly on any device (and even OS). That said, I’ve come across a number of threads on Reddit as well as the official Google Help forums with fresh reports about the problem.

Apparently, in all cases, the dreaded black screen suddenly appears while using the Pixel phone (running Android 14) under any circumstances. That is, you don’t need to perform a specific action to trigger it; it will just happen, with no apparent explanation.

There are situations where the device seems to be ‘dead’, as it becomes totally unresponsive to user actions or commands with the physical buttons, even losing access to the fastboot menu. One of those affected (Mrunal Naik on Google forums) makes it clear that they were using their phone lightly, without heavy tasks or gaming, so the root of the problem does not appear to be extreme stress on the hardware.

However, when this happens, the phone does not appear to be completely dead, as another user found that it is still detected by their PC as an active device. Even for some, the phone continues to vibrate when trying to turn it on. Therefore, the hope of a salvation, although distant, was still present for them. As the screenshot below shows, there are more than 90 users facing this same problem:

It’s notable that, for this particular situation, the most affected model seems to be the Google Pixel 5a. However, this does not mean that other Pixel models will not experience it, since we can also find similar complaints from Pixel 7, Pixel 6a or Pixel 4a 5G users, among others.

It may also happen that, after updating to Android 14, the device gets stuck on an error screen with the ‘fastboot’ symbol (a green robot lying down) as happened to Redditor docsmooth on their Pixel 6 Pro.

There are more cases related to black screen issues on Google Pixel devices running Android 14. For example, the Redditor boi_muhafiz reports that, after updating, a portion of their screen randomly turns black. Fortunately, this case is resolved with a simple reboot, but it keeps coming back, which is frustrating.

There are less severe situations related to the dreaded black screen. Redditor Vexiified describes how their new Pixel 8 Pro gets stuck on a black screen from time to time when trying to unlock their device.

On the other hand, Redditor Shadowcloud95 reports that, after updating their Pixel 7 Pro to Android 14 and the latest Google Play available version, they began experiencing a random black screen while using it. There is also a case of a Google Pixel 6a user whose device throws a black screen every 2 minutes and overheats after installing the update.

There are a couple of users (andrewnice92 and Not_The_Gian on Reddit) who suggest that the Android 14 ‘multiprofile’ option is one of the causes of the less severe cases of black screen (where the phone still turns on), and even freezing and performance problems.

They both agree that they were experiencing these types of problems while they had the option active, and that disabling it resolved or mitigated them. So, you can try it as a potential workaround if you are going through the same thing.

In case your device is unresponsive and does not want to turn on, you can try to force restart it by holding down the power button for about 30 seconds. This method has also helped some users solve the problem.

To top it off, if none of the above worked for you, there is a more ‘extreme’ method that consists of forcing a hard reset using the buttons on the phone. This method consists of holding down the volume up, volume down, and power buttons at the same time for at least 30 seconds. However, it is important to know that this will wipe all your phone data.

In case you are facing any of these issues, or if any of the workarounds mentioned above helped you resolve it, feel free to share your experience in the comment box below.

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