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Google has finally taken the wraps off its latest flagship smartphones, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. These devices have features, including a new camera system with three lenses, a faster processor, and more.
However, some users report new issues and problems with their Pixel 7 devices. In this article, we will look at recent updates, bugs, issues, and problems with the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro and provide possible fixes. But before that, let’s look at what’s new with the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.
What’s New in Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro?
The all-new Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are finally here and are better than ever! These new phones are packed with all the latest and greatest features you would expect from a top-of-the-line smartphone.
Design
The first thing you will notice about the new Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro is their sleek and stylish design. Both phones have an aluminum unibody construction and Gorilla Glass Victus protection on the front and the back. Both smartphones are also IP68-rated. One notable change is that the camera bar on the rear now matches the color of the chassis. The Pixel 7 is available in three colors: Lemongrass, Snow, and Obsidian. The Pixel 7 Pro, on the other hand, is also available in three colors: Hazel, Obsidian, and Snow.
Display
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro come with beautiful OLED displays. The Pixel 7 has a 6.3-inch Full HD+ resolution OLED display that refreshes at 90Hz. The display can reach a peak brightness of 1400 nits when playing HDR content. On the other hand, the Pixel 7 Pro comes with a 6.7-inch Quad HD+ OLED 120Hz display with LTPO technology and 1500 nits peak brightness. The display is slightly curved around the edges but less curved than the Pixel 6 Pro.
Performance
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro also have faster processors than last year’s models. They’re powered by the Google Tensor G2 processor, which matches the performance of the Exynos 2100 on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. In addition, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro come with 8GB and 12GB of RAM, respectively.
Battery & Charging
The vanilla Pixel 7 has a smaller battery size of 4344mAh with support for up to 21W wired charging using the Google 30W adapter. The Pixel 7 Pro has a larger 5000mAh battery with support for 23W wired charging using the Google 30W adapter. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro support wireless charging at 20W and 23W, respectively, using the Google Pixel Stand. A Qi Wireless charger can only go up to 12W.
Cameras
The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro feature a new and improved camera system. The primary rear camera is now a 50MP sensor with OIS. There is also a 12MP ultra-wide camera on the rear. The camera system on the Pixel 7 Pro is even more impressive, with a triple rear camera setup that includes a 50MP wide-angle camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a 48MP 5X telephoto camera. The front-facing camera has also been upgraded to an 11MP sensor on both phones. It has a few extra features, like “Unblur” and 30X sharp digital zoom.
The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are both available in two different storage options— 128GB and 256GB with an additional 512GB option for the Pixel 7 Pro. And, of course, they both come with Android 13 pre-installed. The Pixel 7 starts at $599, while the Pixel 7 Pro starts at $899.
Pixel 7 Software Updates
The Pixel 7 lineup will receive three years of major OS updates and five years of security updates. This means the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will get Android 14, Android 15, and Android 16. We will keep track of any new updates for the Pixel 7 lineup here. The Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro have received the following software updates so far.
| Date | Version | Details |
|---|---|---|
| October 21 | T1B3.221003.003 | Android 13 QPR1 beta 3 |
| November 08 | T1B3.221003.008 | Android 13 QPR1 beta 3.1 |
| November 08 | TD1A.221105.001 | November 2022 update |
List of All Pixel 7 Problems (User Reported)
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are great smartphones. However, these devices are not perfect. Like any other smartphone, the Pixel 7 lineup is prone to occasional problems and bugs. This section will track all Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro problems reported so far. We will also try to provide solutions or workarounds for the same.
Android WebView & Google Play System Updates Failing
Several users have reported the update failure issue with their Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Users are getting a warning saying that their frameworks need an update. However, the Android WebView & Google Play System failed to update. Users cannot install the update, which is stuck at the July 2022 update. The issue has not been acknowledged by Google yet. However, we can expect an update to fix the same very soon. Meanwhile, you can try the following workaround.
Workaround: Disable auto-update on the Google Play Store and try updating the frameworks manually.
Update October 25: The Pixel 7 series has received a new Google Play System update.
Disabled Support For 32-bit Apps
Sideloading apps is also a problem on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, especially the 32-bit apps. Although the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro have 32-bit system libraries, sideloading 32-bit apps is disabled. This is a software-driven issue, which you can fix with an OTA update. Google has not acknowledged this issue either. Unfortunately, we don’t have any workaround for this issue. If you know of any workarounds, let us know in the comments section.
Update October 28: Google confirms both Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are the first Android phones to support 64-bit apps exclusively.
Banking Apps Can’t Use Face Unlock
Another software limitation issue is the lack of support for Face Unlock with banking apps. Users cannot use Face Unlock for biometric authentication when using banking apps. The Face Unlock feature can only be used for unlocking your phone. Unfortunately, there is no workaround for this issue either. We hope that Google will acknowledge this issue and enable Face Unlock for biometric authentication on banking apps soon.
Camera Apps keep crashing/Stopping.
Several Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro users have reported the camera app crashing issue on their devices. The camera app keeps crashing or sometimes stops working. This is a significant issue as the camera app is one of the most critical apps on a smartphone. Thankfully, Google is working on fixing the problem with an OTA update. Meanwhile, there is a workaround for this issue.
Workaround: Go to the Google Play Store and click on your profile >> Manage apps & device. Find the Camera app and click “update.” The update size is 218MB. Once you’ve installed the update, the app crashing issue should hopefully disappear.
Excessive Battery Drain
A bugs and problems list is always incomplete without a battery drain issue. Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro users have reported excessive battery drain when using smartphones, even casually. The screen-on time is as low as 5 hours. While Google is working on fixing the problem, you can try the following workarounds. You can also use the same workarounds if your device is overheating.
Workarounds:
- Turn off the Auto-brightness feature to preserve the battery.
- Go to Settings >> Apps >> Turn off notifications for unused apps.
- Turn off Wi-Fi, Personal Hotspot, GPS, and Bluetooth when unused.
- Reduce the Auto screen off time to less than 30 seconds.
- Keep an eye on official software updates.
- Don’t overcharge your phone.
Missing Media Controls On Lockscreen
Some Pixel 7 and 7 Pro users have been facing the missing media controls on the lockscreen. Users have reported that the media controls appear in the notification panel but not on the lockscreen. Thankfully, Google has acknowledged this problem and will fix the issue in an upcoming OTA update.
Workaround: It seems like this issue is being caused due to the newly introduced Face Unlock feature. While Google is working on a fix, you can try disabling the feature to get back media controls on the lockscreen. To disable the Face Unlock feature, go to Settings > security > Fingerprint and Face Unlock> turn off the Skip lock screen option.
The device is not charging issue.
Several Pixel 7 and 7 Pro users are reportedly experiencing slow charging issues. Some users have also reported that the phone doesn’t charge even when connected to the charger. This is happening with both wired and wireless chargers.
Workaround: So, how do we fix this? The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro use the new USB power delivery 3.0 standard for charging. If you use an old or a third-party charger, try using Google’s 30W USB-C charger instead. Also, make sure you use a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable instead of a USB Type-A to USB Type-C one. Hopefully, your phone will start charging again.
Fingerprint scanner issues
Pixel 7 and 7 Pro users have also reported fingerprint scanner issues where the scanner takes an eternity to unlock and sometimes doesn’t even unlock. This is a serious issue as you don’t want to enter your lockscreen password each time you want to unlock your phone.
Google has acknowledged the problem and is working on a software update to fix it. Meanwhile, you can try the following workarounds:
Registering the same fingerprint twice helps resolve this issue. To register another fingerprint, go to Settings > Security > Fingerprint unlock.
If the abovementioned solution doesn’t resolve the issue, you might have a thick screen protector causing the problem. Make sure you buy a Google-certified screen protector and try again.
Black Screen Issue
Several Pixel 7 series users are experiencing a black screen issue. The exact reason has not been found yet. It looks more like a software bug than a hardware one. However, there is a temporary workaround to get rid of the problem. You need to restart your device and see if it helps.
Auto Rotate Not Working
Some Pixel 7 Users are facing an Auto Rotate issue. YouTube video’s auto-rotate feature has stopped working. There is no official workaround by the company. You can try general troubleshooting methods, which include restarting your device. This method works the majority of the time.
Other Pixel 7 Series Issues
Several users have also reported the following issues:
- Wi-Fi is not connecting properly
- Bluetooth connectivity issues
- App freeze and crash issues
- GPS not functioning
- Slow charging
- Cellular network connectivity issues
- Unresponsive touch issue
- Auto-restart issue
- Lock screen notifications won’t show when face unlock is on
- The screen stays on after locking the handset
- Poor Quality Speaker
- Shows No network/ No service/ No SIM warnings
- Overheating even on normal use
- Call dropping problem
- A “Connected, not charging” message appears when a third-party charger is used.
- Inconsistent “Double tap the back.”
- Blurry front camera photos
- Quick Tap gesture for a flashlight not working
- Unable to send or receive SMS
Hopefully, Google will acknowledge all these issues and fix them soon via an OTA update.
Final Words
Google’s new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are its latest flagship smartphones, full of features. If you’re having any issues with your Pixel 7, check our list of topics to see if there’s a fix available. We have provided the workarounds to almost all the problems unless they were unavailable. We will keep updating the post as more problems are discovered and the fixes become available. If you face any other issues on your Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro, let us know in the comments section.
Jessica Svenson
I’m having issues with a noise/sound every time I move my phone or touch the edges of the screen. This is really annoying when doing calls. This occured after the latest update, and I can not figure out how to undo that update, or how to get rid of the sound. I’m now thinking about switching back to Samsung just because of this sound.
dahlia
I have abandoned my new pixel 7. The camera is not only not sharp when you zoom in slightly, but it also distorts the image to the point that it’s unusable. It looks like a bad watercolour, all pixelated and weird. I have not seen this listed anywhere. I thought I got a lemon, but they replaced it, and the second one behaved similarly. Un-useable. Very odd that I haven’t seen any posts about this, and unthinkable that they could put it on the market like this. Am I missing some obvious fix?
David Bruce Kuykendall
My Pixel 7 is locking up and has a green square around anything you tap.
Brian
Got a Pixel 7 pro 256GB, 2 weeks ago and had lots of issues, the apps freeze, the swipe is very intermittent, and won’t connect to the computer, just to mention some, seems that if you turn off some of googles data harvesting apps it crashes. Telstra is being very difficult on replacement. so have a go back to Samsung.
Dan
I went from a Pixel 6 to a Pixel 7. The Pixel 6 was already on android 13 when I switched. These are the problems I found on my Pixel 7. When I walked away from my car, and my phone was connected to wireless Android Auto, I could not answer a phone call. The phone would ring, but there is no interface for me to touch or swipe. There was nothing in the notification shade either. This happened both on my Pixel 6 and 7. The only way for me to answer a call was from my Fitbit watch. I never had cellular connectivity issues when I had my Pixel 6 in Canada, only a couple of times when I was in Spain and several times when I was in the UK. I heard the UK network is not very strong. My Pixel 7 shows a strong “bar” most of the time. However, there is a few apps (Shell, McDonald’s, TD, Chrome?) that would be either slow to load (30+ seconds), timed out due to no internet or unable to connect over a secure connection. I believe they are related. It only happens when I am on a cellular connection, never WiFi. My provider (Koodo) is still on LTE. When the above happened, I was usually in full-bar LTE or LTE+. Another annoyance was sometimes the screen would not wake up when tapped, most of the time when I had my phone in my pocket and was connected wirelessly to Android Auto. I guess it’s a pain when you want to be on the bleeding edge.
Don
Having to constantly restart my 7pro with fb messenger calling the phone goes in and out of data connection.
Julie Parker
On my 2nd Pixel 7 pro….not as bad as the first one but still having NO SERVICE and data connection issues. Very frustrating!
Mehtab Ansari
is it solved yet?
Fred
nop, I got mine and been using it for 2 weeks and can’t stand those bugs; I’m switching back to Samsung