Pixel Phone Users Report Bluetooth Vehicle Pairing Issues; Google Working on a Fix

Google launched the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones earlier this month, and the demand for the smartphones have exceeded the company's expectations. We found the smartphone to be quite impressive (Review) as well. However, as users have begun to use the smartphone in their everyday lives, reports of glitches are now cropping up. Apparently, many Pixel phone users claim that they are having trouble pairing their smartphones with in-car entertainment systems.

Many users have taken to the Pixel Community to report the Bluetooth bug. The new Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL smartphones are having trouble pairing with many cars. In some cases, the smartphones get connected and even play audio easily, but disconnect when placing a phone call. In other cases, the smartphone have difficulty in connecting, and even if they connect, they soon drop off for no apparent reason.

Google is aware about the issue, and has even reached out to the affected people. This issue first cropped up with Nexus phones when Marshmallow was rolled out, and a software update fixed the issue later. This leads us to believe that the issue could have cropped up with the new Android 7.1 Nougat update, and because some Nexus users are also reporting similar issues; a software fix is all that may be required to solve the problem. While the problem is spread across different car companies, most issues are reported by General Motors vehicle owners.

One big advantage for Pixel owners is that they don't have to wait for OEMs to push out the update, and will receive it directly from Google as soon as it's ready with the fix. Apart from this bug, some Pixel phone users have also reported a lens flare issue in photos when taken under certain lighting conditions. Google has acknowledged this issue as well, and has promised a fix in the coming weeks.

A similar issue was also reported by iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users earlier this month, where many users reported spotty Bluetooth connectivity with their car systems. iOS 10 was also blamed for this bug, and the latest iOS 10.1 release notes also include "improvements in Bluetooth connectivity with third-party accessories".