Update: Google has confirmed a fix for this issue is on the way, but it won't arrive until the March Pixel update rolls out - which is not a good look.
The Pixel 6 range has not been without its problems, and a lot of users have reported experiencing bugs since its launch late last year. But it seems Google can’t catch a break, because the bug-fixing February update seems to have spawned an entirely new problem.
The bugfix in this update was designed to solve a problem that saw the phones reboot “when using the camera in certain conditions,” as well as clearing up some problems around the keyboard displaying incorrectly. The new bug is totally different, affecting the phones’ Wi-Fi connection.
Users are reporting that the Wi-Fi connections are disconnecting after a few minutes, while also preventing automatic connections to known networks. That’s if Wi-Fi can be switched on at all.
Unfortunately, this issue is also affecting Bluetooth in some cases, with some people reporting that switching Wi-Fi on is causing Bluetooth to switch off; hardly ideal, to say the least.
Users have been reporting their problems over on the Pixel subreddit and in a post on Google’s Pixel community forum. It doesn't appear to be an isolated incident, though I haven’t experienced these issues on my own Pixel 6 Pro after updating earlier this morning. Tom's Guide Editor in Chief Marc McLaren also has the update on his Pixel 6, but hasn’t experienced any problems either.
Users are experimenting with various ad-hoc fixes to get their phones to work as Google intended. Several Redditors have gone so far as to factory reset their phone, though sadly, on more than one occasion, the bug reportedly made a comeback a few hours later.
Other suggested fixes include switching Airplane mode on and off, rebooting the phone, disabling the adaptive connections feature, or resetting network settings. For the most part it seems like these are only temporary solutions at best, since users have reported the problem eventually reoccurs. That’s assuming they worked at all.
Obviously loss of Wi-Fi is a pretty serious issue, especially for those in poor-signal areas or with restrictive data caps. I’d wager it’s more serious than unexpected shutdowns when the camera is being used — which is itself a pretty serious and annoying problem.
Those of you that haven’t updated yet may want to wait a little while before pulling the trigger. For those of you who are affected, there’s little respite beyond hope that Google will either solve the problem with a new update or find an interim solution.
