Some Google Pixel phones are still suffering Bluetooth issues on Android 8.1 Oreo

Google’s Pixel phones have drawn praise from critics and consumers alike ever since the launch of the first Pixel range in October 2016. Yet despite the numerous plaudits, the original Pixel family, and now the second-generation phones, have been the subject of near-constant reports of Bluetooth-related issues.

Various updates and server-side fixes have been rolled out over the past twelve months, and it had seemed that most problems had been put to bed. Unfortunately, the Pixel series’ rocky relationship with Bluetooth hit the headlines again with the release of Android 8.0 Oreo in August this year.

At the time, first-generation Pixel users flooded Google’s product forums with complaints surrounding Bluetooth connectivity for headphones, speakers, and car infotainment systems. Google Community Manager Orrin suggested that these pesky niggles would be addressed in the October Android security update, with additional fixes coming in the following months.

Editor's Pick

Best of Android 2017 – Which smartphone really is the best?

Every year, smartphones become more homogenous, the differences smaller and the risk (associated with the ever-increasing cost) higher. 2017 was no different -- with every manufacturer bringing their best to the table, and with mainstream …

Fast forward to today, however, and it appears that a vast number of Pixel owners are still struggling to attain a stable Bluetooth connection. After a tip from an Android Authority reader, I took a look through the aforementioned product forum thread which now spans almost 1,000 comments from disgruntled users.

The majority of the more recent complaints address various issues when trying to connect to in-car systems. Some report that they can’t get their phone to register at all following the update, while many others can pair the two, but experience an intermittent connection, or are cut off whenever a notification appears on the phone. Some Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, and Nexus 6P users are also reporting similar issues.

Even worse, this is seemingly all still going on after the Android 8.1 Oreo upgrade, with several describing no noticeable changes since the latest update which began rolling out publicly for both the original Pixel and Pixel 2 last week.

The last word from Google on the matter came from Orrin on November 1st, where he asked users to refrain from posting updates unless they were running the 8.1 Oreo beta. He also referred all other users to the “Best Answer” post from October.

Judging by the tone of the user replies, Google’s open-ended promise of fixes in “future updates” has done little to assuage the increasingly frustrated consumers that have been affected by the Bluetooth issues.

Whether or not the problems are restricted to just the Pixel series is yet to be seen. We’ll be keeping an eye out for similar reports as Oreo hits devices from other OEMs to see if this is potentially a deep-rooted issue with Android’s latest OS upgrade.

Have you encountered Bluetooth issues on a Pixel phone or any other device running Android Oreo? Let us know in the comments.