Don't install the latest update on your Pixel phone, or you could lose internet access
Here we are with a new round of Pixel problems.
Some Pixel devices are experiencing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity issues after installing the January 2026 update.
The January 2026 update brings several improvements and fixes known bugs in Pixel devices. This update is especially important for owners of Pixel 10 series phones, as it reportedly improves GPU performance. The initial rollout went very smoothly, but once it became widely available, some Pixel owners began experiencing Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity issues after its installation.
Some affected users cannot turn on the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles because they are grayed out, while others see no available Wi-Fi networks or Bluetooth devices. It's worth noting that not all compatible Pixel devices are affected by the connectivity problems, though there have still been a significant number of reports in the last few days.
Update breaks Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
The issue isn't exclusive to any particular lineup, as users have reported facing it across different Pixel models, including the Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and others. Interestingly, a Reddit user posted that the camera on their Pixel 10 Pro also stopped working, along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, after downloading the update. A reply under this post from another affected user says that the camera closes automatically after opening it. They are also unable to use the flashlight, as it says it is being used by the camera.
There hasn't been any official statement from Google on this matter. However, a user on the Google support forum reported that the tech giant is aware of the issue, and they were contacted by the MadeByGoogle X account regarding it.
The short answer is no. Although Google has "sort of" acknowledged the problem, it hasn't made any fix available and is asking affected users to reach out to contact support for assistance.
Is there any fix available?
What the hell @Google @GoogleIndia @GooglePixel_US @googlepixel Wifi and Bluetooth have not been working for over a month now. The only thing the support team does is keep asking for a bug report and when provided they say insufficient data as if I manually write this report.
— Namratha Gillala (@namrathag23284) January 27, 2026
Users facing this problem have already tried rebooting their phone, resetting their network settings, and booting into safe mode. None of these basic troubleshooting steps have resolved the issue. A Reddit user named Alter_Chipmunk2109 even took the boldest step of factory resetting their Pixel, but it wasn't helpful either.
However, the user further commented that both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity issues vanished after they reinstalled the latest public build on their smartphone. The drawback of taking this approach is that you might end up losing a few days of data. Furthermore, you must have technical knowledge, as this method requires you to sideload the latest build manually through ADB, and you must have access to a computer.
Yup, it's not the first time an update has done more harm than good on Pixel phones. For instance, one of the recent updates broke the always-on display on some of the Pixel 10 phones. Installing it caused the screen to flicker every time the clock updated. Then, a Google Play system update recently made some Pixel smartphones appear a little lethargic. And now, the January 2026 update is causing connectivity issues on some phones.
So, if you know how to do all this, you're okay with losing a small amount of data, and you really can't manage with mobile data for some time, then you can definitely try this workaround. Otherwise, I would highly recommend waiting until an official solution is made available by Google.
Do Pixel updates often do more harm than good?
It's not the first time
I didn't have the latest update installed on my Pixel 10, but I decided to install it just to check whether the issue would affect me too. Guess what? It actually did. No Wi-Fi networks are showing up for me, even after turning on the Wi-Fi toggle.
Hopefully, Google will address the known issue in the next update. I, personally, wouldn't be affected much by this since I have an unlimited mobile data plan, so I can live without Wi-Fi for some time. However, users who heavily rely on Wi-Fi to connect to the online world should definitely hold off on installing the update.
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