Google Pixel Phones Hit by Lock Screen Bugs Post Android 16 Install

Google kicked off the rollout of the stable Android 16 update to eligible Pixel phones last month. Initially, it seemed there were no hiccups with the OS. But sadly, that’s not the case as subsequent reports of navigation gestures not working showed. Now, Google Pixel phones running Android 16 are experiencing lock screen issues. However, the good news is that there’s a workaround for it. 

Android 16 reportedly triggering lock screen issues on Google Pixel phones

Folks over at 9to5Google first spotted complaints from Pixel users about multiple lock screen issues after the stable Android 16 update. Some users took to the Pixel Phone Help forum and Reddit to report issues like tap-to-wake not working.

In addition, some have reported the screen not turning on or acting pretty laggy while turning on after pressing the power button. If that wasn’t enough, some even complained about extreme variations in brightness as well as fingerprint scanner problems. On top of that, a few Pixel users have also reported slow UI and app crashes after unlocking the phone. 

One user’s comment highlighted in the 9to5Google’s report suggests that Google initially offered replacement or repair of the device upon receiving the complaint. However, when the issues started to pour in from across the globe, the company admitted that these issues on Android 16-powered Pixel phones are related to a software bug. 

Apparently, Google is working to fix it. What’s interesting is that Google received similar complaints during beta testing but didn’t fix the issue. Now, the lock screen issues are giving headaches to Pixel phone users in the stable version of Android 16. 

Temporary workarounds to mitigate the issues

While we await an official fix for the above issues, some users reported having found workarounds to mitigate them. One of the easiest ones is to just restart your Android 16-powered Google Pixel phone. Sadly, users have reported that the issues pop up again after a few hours. 

As for the brightness-related issue, resetting the adaptive brightness setting appears to be doing the trick. If you’re having similar issues, head to Settings > Apps > All apps > Device Health Services > Storage and cache > Clear storage > Reset adaptive brightness.