Google Pixel Update: January Security Patch Causing Users To See Lag

Google’s January security patch seems problematic if some Pixel and Pixel 2 owners are to be asked. The new update that’s supposed to fix some bugs apparently causes some handsets to lag upon installation.

According to 9to5Google, when the January security patch was rolled out to the Pixel phones on Tuesday, many users immediately voiced out their complaints about the update online. The most common issue that was reported pertains to the lagging problem that’s very evident once the patch has been sideloaded.

Complaints about the lag range from the noticeable slowed down animations in the user interface to the delay in the launch of many apps. The latter is apparent when users tap an app icon and it would take a couple of seconds before the app could launch. Loading times are also compromised in apps like Gmail. When opening the email service, messages will start to load after several seconds.

Based on user complaints, booting takes longer than the usual once the January security patch is installed. The affected Pixel phones gets stuck on the white screen after the boot animation. The display then shows a progress bar and Google logo for some time before the lockscreen appears.

When the affected handset is done booting up, a “Finishing Android update” notification remains underneath the drop down notification bar for several minutes before it goes away. The lagging issue is then felt when users try some nav bar actions or simply tap the home button. The response to these actions are painfully slow.

The lag issues reportedly persist in some Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL handsets. The complaints are coming from users who sideloaded the patch instead of waiting for the OTA update. Google has since confirmed that the lag issue is only present in the sideloaded January security patch and that the OTA version should not have the same problems.

For those who have already sideloaded the latest security patch on their Pixel phone, there is actually a simple way to address the lag issues. Several users said the lag issues disappear when the device is rebooted. They also maintained that the Pixel-branded handsets should operate smoothly when a reboot is performed.

Google has two security patches for this month of January. The first one, which is dated Jan. 1, patches 20 vulnerabilities. The second patch, which is dated Jan. 5, addresses 18 vulnerabilities. Both patches also come with two functional updates: the first one adjusts “handling of key upgrades in keystone,” while the second update improves “stability and performance after installing an OTA,” as per Android Authority.