Google addresses Pixel "freeze" touchscreen bug, fix coming in February update

Google has been struggling to fix many of the issues that plague the Pixel phones following the release of Android 12 last year. One of the weirder, yet equally annoying bug that affects many Pixel phones, briefly freezes the touchscreen in certain conditions.

This particular issue dates from October and while Google has provided several updates since then, none addressed the bug. If you’re using a Pixel phone running Android 12, we’re happy to report that Google has finally managed to fix the bug internally, which means that everyone should get it in the next update.

Spotted by 9to5google on the Issue Tracker, the information doesn’t contain details about the exact date when the fix will be released. We assume Google wants to address the issue as fast as possible, and that usually means including the fix in the next major update. In this case, the bug fix might be coming alongside the February 2022 security patch, which is reportedly expected to arrive on time.

If you’ve been experiencing brief freezes of your Pixel’s touchscreen, it’s because of a bug related to apps that use a specific accessibility service that handles gestures. The freeze usually happens the moment the battery meter of the Pixel drops by 1%, but it only lasts for a second or two. Unfortunately, there’s no workaround at the moment, so you’ll have to wait for the fix to arrive as early as next month.