Google pushed out the stable Android 16 update for its Pixel phones on June 10. Since then, there have been sporadic reports of users running into issues with the back gesture and the 3-button navigation bar acting glitchy. There now seems to be another annoying bug in Android 16 that seems to have slipped through Google’s testing, one that makes unlocking Pixels a tad frustrating.
After updating their Pixel to Android 16, some Pixel owners have noticed that the tap-to-wake gesture does not work reliably (via Reddit, 2, 3). Even the lift to wake gesture seems to work intermittently, making it an annoying experience to unlock the phone.
Many affected Pixel owners have noticed that a restart helps temporarily resolve the problem. But then it starts happening again after a few hours or after about a day. In some cases, users also report that their Pixel phone takes about 4–5 seconds to wake up from sleep when the power button is pressed. Once unlocked, though, the phone works normally with no signs of lag.
The issue doesn’t seem to be widespread and doesn’t affect as many Pixel users as the back gesture bug. But there are user reports from almost all Pixel phones running Android 16, starting from the Pixel 6 to the Pixel 9 lineup. A Google support rep reached out to one Redditor asking for more details, so the company is likely aware of the problem and looking into it.
Restart your Pixel regularly to avoid the bug
While Android 16’s best features will only arrive in September, it’s still a big update. And while Google’s QA might have improved, some bugs will slip through its testing. The company should take care of them with the next monthly Pixel security patch, which should land in early July.
Until then, if you are facing this bug on your Pixel, restart it once every day. Or install the latest Android 16 QPR1 beta, which does not appear to be affected. And as a bonus, you can try out Material 3 Expressive months ahead of its official release.
