Is your Pixel glitchy after Android 16? Here’s the best workaround we’ve found so far

Has navigation on your Pixel phone been glitchy since the Android 16 update? You’re not alone. 

Android 16 brought a number of changes, but ever since the latest version of Android dropped last week, Pixel users have been reporting that their phones are freezing or behaving sluggishly when navigation buttons are used. Both three-button navigation and swipe gestures are having issues.

Also: Your Android phone just got a big upgrade for free – these Pixel models included

According to reports on the r/GooglePixel subreddit, the problems aren’t limited to a certain device. A Pixel 6 user said their phone was “basically garbage” and that swiped gestures either don’t register or behave weirdly; a Pixel 8 Pro user reported that their device is “a complete mess” with completely unresponsive buttons or delays of more than 30 seconds; and a Pixel 9 Pro XL user said that the swipe-up gesture is totally broken.

Dozens of users reported experiencing the problem in a thread about the issue. Many said they had to close apps multiple times to restore navigation functionality.

What to do if your Pixel phone is unresponsive after Android 16

Google hasn’t acknowledged anything, so there’s no word on what’s causing the problem and no official fix. Several users have reported that wiping the device’s launcher data or switching to a different launcher fixes the issue, at least temporarily. 

Here’s how you do that:

• Pull down your navigation bar from the top until it’s full screen.  
• Tap Settings and then Apps.
• Open your apps list and scroll until you see Pixel Launcher.
• Tap force stop.

Also: I upgraded to Android 16 – here’s what I love and what’s still missing

Several users who were not using the default Pixel Launcher said that switching back to that fixed the problem temporarily as well. You can do that by going to the same settings menu, tapping Default apps below your list of apps, and then selecting Home app.

What’s most frustrating about this glitch is that it’s not a seldom-used feature that’s having problems; it’s core functionality. Hopefully, Google can figure out what’s happening and fix things soon. 

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