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Pixel’s November update is breaking AOD, lock screen, and notifications for some users
Bugs introduced with the November 2026 update continue to pile up for Pixel owners.
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Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
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TL;DR
- Pixel users are reporting several sporadic issues after the November update.
- From Desktop Mode to AOD, Lock screen, and notification drawers, a lot of basic Pixel features don’t work as they should.
- A larger pool of users are witnessing accidental touches and unresponsive cameras.
It’s not uncommon for new Pixel updates to introduce more problems than new features. We’ve been seeing a similar phenomenon for almost a year, andI’ve lamented about it to no avail. Google has admitted that nearly 75% of all internal code is written by AI, and that appears to be impacting yet another round of new updates, released this week,
The recent November 2026 Pixel Drop that brought a host of AI features, especially to the Pixel 10 series, and supposedly dozens of bug fixes also appears to be causing a wide range of sporadic issues for Pixel owners. We’ve come across several reports on Reddit, suggesting users are struggling with unexplained issues since the update.
Have you noticed any of these bugs on your Pixel phones since the November update?
Here’s a log of the bugs or issues people have encountered in the past few days since the update was released:
Desktop Mode breaks
According to user bozhodimitrov on Reddit, the November update deteriorates the experience with Pixel’s native Desktop Mode. The user highlights a few issues, including one where connecting to an external monitor over HDMIstead, the audio plays through the phone’s speakers, even though it worked flawlessly before the update
Another issue has reportedly arisen with the automatic screen timeout. The user says the icon dock in Desktop Mode disappears when the phone’s screen auto-locks, forcing them to keep the display on to use Desktop Mode on a bigger screen. Another user, Cesc1972 on Reddit, appears to confirm facing the same issue.
Another annoyance the user mentions is how Desktop Mode handles full-screen windows now. Expanding any app to full screen hides the icon dock at the bottom of the screen, but that window does not stretch fully to occupy the empty area, letting it go to waste.
AOD and Lock screen are wonky
Redditor joelnodxd has an elaborate list of bugs they’re facing since the update, and the majority of them concern the always-on display (AOD) and the lock screen on their Pixel. They say that a lot of times, while locking the screen on their Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the notification drawer drops and remains on the screen. As a result, the faded notification drawer shows instead of the AOD in ambient mode.
Beyond the issue with ambient display, the user also notes that the phone’s inner screen no longer automatically lights up when they unfold it. The screen remains dark until they press the power button manually.
Another user, AncientOneSeven, adds that they can’t change the lock screen clock style on their Pixel 10 Pro XL. Rebooting the device does not prove helpful either.
The notification drawer gets stuck
Multiple users have reported that scrolling across the notification drawer now takes more taps than earlier. User Rude-Leek-3290 on Reddit notes that collapsing the notification drawer back up now takes three swipes instead of two earlier. That’s when there are a few unaddressed notifications. Meanwhile, when the drawer is clear, it takes two swipes instead of one to close.
User joelnodxd, who also reported the AOD issues above, also notes that the notification drawer feels sluggish. Another user, MV7300, adds that swiping down on the home screen to bring down the notification shade no longer works as intended.
Accidental touches
An issue that appears to be affecting a larger pool of users is that of accidental touches when their Pixel devices are kept in the pocket. User blowfishbrisket on Reddit reports that their phone wakes up at the slightest touch, even when Tap to Wake is disabled. This causes the phone’s screen to register touches when it’s kept in the pocket. The issue occurs only within the first few seconds after locking the screen, which is also confirmed by another user, MerkurMan. They add that the screen continues to respond for almost 4 seconds after it is locked when Tap to Wake is turned off. This behavior is obviously unintended.
The Reddit thread has more than half a dozen users confirming they’re facing the same.
For now, the solution appears to be to wait for about five seconds before putting it back in your pocket.
Cameras refuse to work
Another issue that appears to be affecting more than a handful of users is that of cameras becoming unresponsive on the Pixel phones following the November update. All cameras on Pixel devices owned by certain users appear to be frozen, showing a black patch in place of the viewfinder’s view. What’s worse is that the issue persists across all apps that can access the cameras, not just the primary app. To some users’ dismay, factory resetting the phone does not fix the issue.
Thankfully, Reddit userAlbamen13 may have a stopgap fix: turn off the camera for five seconds, then wait about five minutes before turning it back on. Many others in the same Reddit thread confirm this solves the issue. The official PixelCommunity Reddit account also appears to have noticed it, which hopefully means we might get it fixed soon.
The bright side
Despite the range of issues users have been facing on their Pixel devices since the November update, these issues do not appear widespread — at least not in the limited time since the rollout began on Tuesday. We hope it stays that way.
Meanwhile, if you have encountered any of these issues — or something else, be sure to let us know in the comments.
