Among the most persistent issues, the Google Pixel and Pixel XL keep randomly freezing and remaining unresponsive for minutes, users report.
The Google Pixel and Pixel XL are among the hottest smartphones of this year, but like any and all devices, they're not without issues. Pixel owners have so far reported on camera issues, audio issues, LTE band 4 connectivity problems and others, but the random freezing remains among the most persistent ones.
While most previous issues have already received a fix, users have been complaining about the Google Pixel or Pixel XL randomly freezing since November and it seems Google has yet to get to the bottom of this.
Google Pixel Freezes
The official Pixel User Community forum has a long thread on the matter and the discussion started a good while back. In early November, one user wrote a forum post complaining that their Pixel XL was freezing and becoming unresponsive, then start working again on its own, randomly.
Subsequent posts in the thread reveal that both the Google Pixel and the larger Pixel XL have this issue and the unresponsiveness renders the handsets useless for a few seconds (at best) to a few minutes.
Users further highlight that the freezing doesn't occur when performing a particular task or using a specific app - it just occurs randomly. The solution seems to be either waiting patiently for a few minutes until the handset recovers on its own, or holding down the power button for a force reboot.
What's Causing It?
One user says the phone even freezes when it's not in use, such as when held in a pocket. They'd only find out the phone didn't work upon finding out that people have been calling to no avail. Google support reportedly suggested it might be a third-party issue, but it doesn't seem like it.
First of all, user reports indicate that the exact same apps on a Nexus 6P with Android 7.1 on board caused no issues, which suggests the freezing problem is affecting just the Pixels. Secondly, users reporting on the Pixel Community Forum run different apps and they haven't found a common denominator just yet, and some don't have any third-party apps at all, further suggesting that the issue might not be caused by a third-party app.
On the other hand, some Pixel owners got rid of this issue by uninstalling a third-party app called Live360 Family Locator, but others didn't even have the app installed and still experienced the issues. At the same time, one user notes that the phone seems to be freezing more when using Chrome, but it also freezes randomly when using other apps or performing other tasks.
In other words, it still remains unclear just what causes the Google Pixel and Pixel XL to randomly freeze and Google has yet to provide a fix. Users report that cleaning the cache or performing a factory reset doesn't solve the problem.
Have you experienced such random freezes with your Google Pixel or Pixel XL? If so, have you found any temporary workarounds that do the trick? Share your experience in the comments section below.
