Google's June OTA Security Update Fixes Mysterious Pixel, Pixel XL Freezing Issue

Google has begun rolling out its over-the-air (OTA) software security update to its Nexus and Pixel smartphones, including a fix for a mysterious bug on Pixel and Pixel XL handsets that randomly freezes the devices.

“There is a fix included in the June security update that should address many of the freezing issues that have been reported. The update is starting to roll out via OTA today [Tuesday] and will continue to roll out over the coming weeks,” a Google representative said on the Pixel User Community forums.

“Freezing and general device performance issues can be caused by many different things, so please continue to update this post with your individual experiences after accepting the June security OTA.”

Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones both have been received pretty well by consumers and critics when it was released late last year. However, Google was faced with several issues ranging from lack of stock and the occasional software problems.

The random freezing problem on the Pixel phones has actually been around since shortly after they were released. As seen on the Pixel user Community forum post, user Aris Wright reported the freezing issue on his Pixel XL back in November.

Several others have come forward with similar issues. “My Pixel XL 128 GB becomes unresponsive randomly. Doesn't only happen while using a particular app or while doing a particular task. It's just random,” another user said.

For some, the freezing issue would last a few minutes and their phone would suddenly start working again. For others, the phones needed to be rebooted by holding down the power button to get their Pixel or Pixel XL handset working again. The issue might be affecting a lot of users, but some appear not to be affected at all, as pointed out by the Verge.

Although the June OTA security update finally delivers on a fix, Google hasn’t really given an exact reason as to why this is happening. The Google representative just said that it can be caused by “many different things,” and advised everyone to keep updating the software.

A bug like this seems odd, as pointed out by Engadget. Google has full control on both hardware and the Android software on the Pixel and Pixel XL. It doesn’t come with bloatware or any other software features that can bog down the phone's performance.

However, it’s also important to point out that the Pixel and Pixel XL are both first-generation devices. It’s very possible Google simply may have overlooked something with the device’s performance. It’s very likely that this issue will no longer plague Google’s upcoming successors to the Pixel and Pixel XL.

The June OTA security update is also being rolled out to the Pixel C, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, Nexus Player, Nexus 9 LTE and Nexus 9 Wi-Fi, according to Android Police. The update should arrive on with differing builds depending on which carriers users are on. The June OTA security update for Google’s Android devices also includes other fixes and resolves several security flaws.