Here's why you should not update your Pixel to Android 10 right now

For example, one Pixel 3 XL owner noted that after the update to Android 10, features like auto-rotation, auto-brightness, active edge, and double-tap-to-wake no longer worked. Others quickly chimed in with their own stories and all of them basically sounded the same. Before the update, everything was working fine; but once the update was installed, the aforementioned features stopped working. In addition, others complained that their screen goes dark when making a phone call and won't light up unless the call goes to voice mail.

Pixel owners whose phone was impacted by the update might take some solace in the fact that Google is aware of the issue. A post on the Issue Tracker site made early this morning (3:45 am) from a Googler, requested more information from affected Pixel users. The problem was discovered by users who installed Android 10 using an OTA update, and those who flashed the new build on their phone. The only way to get the sensors working right now is to downgrade to Android 9, which can be a mess for those who have never flashed a factory image on their phone before. One Pixel owner claims that he was able to get all sensors but the proximity sensor working again by downloading a free version of an app called Sensor Kinetics from the Google Play Store. The only other course of action for the average Joe is to get by without these features until Google pushes out another update.

A quick scan of the posts written by affected Pixel users seems to indicate that the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are the most affected by this issue. Our Pixel 2 XL (which was already running Android Q beta 6) updated to Android 10 without an issue.

This is not a good time for bad news related to the Pixel handsets to surface. Google has made it clear that it sees the upcoming Pixel 4 series as a competitor to the Apple iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy flagship models. The company has upped the ante by sending out an actual photograph of the Pixel 4 shortly after unofficial renders were disseminated. It also posted a photograph showing the sensors that will be used for its more secure Face unlock system and delivered a video showing Face unlock and the new Motion Sense features in action. The latter uses Google's own Soili radar-based chips to allow subtle hand gestures to control the phone. And as we pointed out yesterday, Best Buy has already started promoting the Pixel 4 line even though it won't be unveiled until next month.

The Pixels have a reputation for launching with a number of annoying issues, most of which (outside of the Pixel 2 XL's screen burn-in problem) are immediately fixed by a software update. No, we are not talking about a disaster like the BlackBerry Storm 9530. Still, if Google wants to take on Apple and Samsung (especially with its pricing), the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL must launch without any of the problems that afflicted Pixel owners in the past. Just last month, Google agreed to settle a class-action suit filed by owners of the OG Pixel for $7.25 million. The issue, in this case, was the failure of the phone's microphone to work due to a hairline crack in the solder used for the part.

If you have yet to update your Pixel to Android 10, we'd suggest that you wait until Google sends out a patch to fix the issue.