Reports of the Pixel 6 Pro’s camera app crashing while recording video at 4x zoom are piling up, and after several months — and multiple updates — there’s still no solution in sight.
The bug, which has been tracked since at least February (Source: Android Authority), strikes when users attempt to jump from 1x to 4x while shooting 4K video at 30fps. Instead of a smooth switch to the telephoto camera, the app throws an error — “A problem occurred, part of the video may not have been saved” — before closing out. The video file saves, but only up until the fatal zoom attempt.
A widespread, sometimes reproducible issue
It’s surprising Google hasn’t officially said anything
On Google’s Issue Tracker, Android Authority found multiple reports describing the same failure, regardless of build version or update cycle. One user documented the crash on Android 16 beta with build BP31.250502.008.A1, noting it happens “every time” when zooming past 5x. Another report, logged after the June stable Android 16 rollout, confirmed the problem persists, writing bluntly: “The phone is completely unusable to record video at this point for months!”
These aren’t isolated incidents. Reddit threads echo the same frustration.
- User vinnavoig vented: “Pixel 6 Pro users, don’t you all have the 4x video recording crashes issue still unsolved since March update? I was hoping for a fix at least this month…”
- Another user, Maxitay, was more blunt: “Yes we all have that issue and Google is doing nothing about it. I’m really mad, it’s been since March that recording with this phone is unusable!!!”*
- User RightInformation added: “I take photos and video of my dogs and the lens switch to 4x tele during video recording still crashes. These monthly updates make me lose hope.”
Even after the May update, Redditors confirm the bug persists. One post from late July summed it up: “Still no solution… I’m seriously considering moving away from the 6 Pro because of this.”
Google support’s response raises eyebrows
Some users say Google support blamed the issue on hardware, recommending out-of-warranty repairs. That explanation hasn’t gone over well. Owners argue the bug clearly lines up with software updates, pointing out it also appears in third-party camera apps like GCam mods — suggesting the problem lies deeper in the Pixel’s imaging pipeline rather than a hardware defect.
Not everyone is affected, but enough are to matter
While the complaints are many and valid, apparently, not all devices are impacted. A brief test on our Pixel 6 Pro (running the latest Android 16 stable build) presented no problems moving between 1x and 4x at 4K/30fps without triggering a crash. Reports from Reddit support the bug’s inconsistent appearance. Some users see crashes 100% of the time, while others report their 6 Pro handles the transition flawlessly.
The inconsistency could explain why we’ve waited so long for an acknowledgment and fix. If the crashes are tied to certain production batches, carrier variants, or firmware combinations, Google’s engineers could have a tougher time isolating the culprit.
The clock is ticking
The Pixel 6 Pro still has official support through Android 17, meaning owners expect at least another year of usability from their device. But a camera app that can’t reliably record video at telephoto zoom is a major problem for a flagship phone whose hallmark feature is its camera. For now, Pixel 6 Pro owners living with the bug are stuck waiting — and hoping Google doesn’t quietly write this off as “working as intended.”
