It’s Not Just You: Google’s Pixels Are Glitching Right Now
Look, I know there’s a joke about how no one uses a smartphone as a phone anymore, but I don’t think that’s true. Between the constant spam calls, there are many reasons why your smartphone needs to be connected to your carrier’s network. Even though data-driven communication platforms have changed the game, traditional phone calls and SMS-based text messages are still a part of everyday life, even in 2024.
So, when your Pixel decides that it no longer wants to reliably connect to your carrier’s network, it’s going to introduce some complications into your life. If this sounds like your experience with a smartphone made by Google, then you’re not alone— many Pixel owners are currently experiencing network issues across all their Pixel devices.
As Android Authority reports , more and more users are complaining that their Pixel phones don’t work like regular phones. Users will miss phone calls entirely and only notice it after they see that the call has gone directly to voicemail, while text messages do not appear as they are received, but rather appear all at once, in groups. This also affects several types of pixels, including the Pixel 7a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 8, and Pixel 8 Pro.
In a Google support thread dedicated to this issue , users blame the March 2024 update for causing this chaos, and suggest that the April 2024 update did not include a fix for it either. (It’s not in the release notes.) Some claim that this update somehow broke the phone’s IMS (IP multimedia subsystem), which is responsible for supporting various communication standards on the Pixel. One commenter went so far as to say that SMS issues nearly brought them to the iPhone, saying, “Google, are you receiving the message?”
We don’t know exactly what’s causing this network issue on Pixel, and it doesn’t affect every Pixel user, as an Android Police commenter would like to let readers know. But there are enough Pixel devices around the world experiencing network issues that Google may be able to fix the problem. I’ve contacted Google about this issue and will update if I hear back.
In the meantime, it looks like the only temporary workaround is to turn Wi-Fi off and on again, and be sure to turn Wi-Fi calling off and on again. Reports say the workaround will allow calling and texting to continue as normal, but only temporarily as the problem looks set to return over time.