Hi all, I want to share what happened to me with Google support, because I'm still quite shocked.

I'm in Ireland. My Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a warranty replacement Google gave me for my Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which had a fault. So it's still under warranty.

A few weeks ago the outer front camera (the one on the cover screen) simply stopped working. Black screen. No drops, no damage, nothing.

I sent it to Google for repair. They came back saying they can't repair it, only replace it, and I have to pay €674 + tax. The reason? "Inner screen damage", later called "bulge on the internal display". It's a small dent on the inner screen from normal use. You can barely see it (photos below), and I never asked them to fix it.

To be clear: a tiny dent on the inner screen obviously didn't cause the outer camera to die. It's on a different part of the phone and has nothing to do with the camera hardware. It's just the excuse to make me pay.

The best part: their report says "No preview on the internal front camera". But I reported the OUTER camera. The inner one works perfectly, I recorded a video of it. I asked them three times which camera they tested. No answer.

So basically:

- the camera they say is broken works

- the camera that is actually broken is not in their report

- they want €674 because of a dent you have to look for to see, and that has nothing to do with the fault

And this is what annoys me most: Google designs the Fold so it's almost impossible to repair. Then when they can't repair it, instead of replacing it under warranty, they find a mark somewhere and make you pay for the replacement.

I escalated to the highest tier of support, sent emails, quoted their own warranty terms. Every reply is copy-paste: "the device does not meet the applicable warranty requirements". In the end the deadline passed and they sent the phone back unrepaired.

Photos: https://imgur.com/a/oxNOBf8

This is a phone that costs almost €2,000. If this is how Google handles warranty, I can't recommend buying one. Think twice before spending that money.

u/PixelCommunity, if you can have a look I'm happy to share the case number in DM.

Has anyone in the EU had something similar and managed to get it fixed?

I recently purchased a Pixel 11 from the Google Store in India and opted to exchange my Pixel 9 (256GB, 12GB RAM) as part of the purchase.

The exchange estimate shown during checkout was ₹43,000, including a ₹9,000 exchange bonus. I proceeded with the purchase with that offer in mind.

However, after my Pixel 11 was delivered, I received a notification stating that my Pixel 9 exchange had been cancelled.

What makes this frustrating is that I had already contacted both Google Store Support and Cashify Support to ask why I wasn't receiving communication regarding the exchange. I also made calls to Cashify. Despite trying to clarify the situation, the exchange was cancelled.

I contacted Google Support again, and they emailed me confirming that my issue had been escalated to a dedicated team, with a response expected within 24–48 hours. My Google Support enquiry reference is 6-3781000041765.

I'm now left with the new phone purchase and an unresolved exchange issue that was part of the original transaction.

What I've done so far:

Contacted Cashify to ask about the missing exchange communication.

Contacted Google Store Support about the same issue.

Received confirmation from Google that the matter was escalated.

Has anyone in India experienced something similar with a Google Store and Cashify exchange? Were you able to get the exchange reinstated or receive an appropriate resolution.

I'd appreciate advice on the best escalation route if customer support doesn't resolve this.

January 2027

Hey guys, so i use youtube and youtube music for most of my daily media and i have the premium, can someone please tell me if there is an option where i can get controls on lock screen like iPhone does for any kind of music app? I listen to music and podcast A LOT and its pissing me off that i have to open the lock 40-50 times a day just to access controls.

It is showing January 2027 on Pixel 9a. I wonder how?

My Pixel 7A stuck in a loop and won't turn on. I've tried everything (?) except factory reset. Here's what's been happening:

For the past few weeks-ish, my phone has been slowly giving up on life and it would occasionally restart on its own. Now I'll admit, a billion photos of my cat and the ~57 GB Genshin were not doing it justice. Then for about a week, this restarting issue evolved into a more lengthy problem. When it would shut down, it would just restart up to the point of showing me the lock screen then it would go black and restart all over again. It would do that several times and it would last about 10-15 minutes, slowly heating up in the process, but then it would turn back on and be fine again.

The day before yesterday, I was on a Massenger call and my phone shut down. No biggie, I thought, it will just panic for a while then turn back on, and when it does, I'll delete Genshin because maybe that'll help. Well, I was wrong. It didn't turn back on. For a couple of hours, it would only show me the Google logo for 2-3 seconds then the screen would go black for about 20 seconds, then Google logo again, and so on. This went on until the phone heated up so much I resorted to putting it in the fridge as advised by a friend. About 20 minutes later, I took it out of the fridge to find that its battery had been drained and it wasn't doing the "Google logo-black screen" loop anymore; it was just dead. I plugged it in for about 15 minutes then tried turning it back on again. That worked momentarily, it turned on for about 15 seconds then it shit the bed again and went back to its loop. At that point it was getting late and I had work the next day so I just decided to leave it alone and went to bed. The next morning (yesterday) it still wasn't working. When I got to work, I told a coworker about the whole issue and they suggested I try plugging it back in again and seeing what happens. I did, and it turned on just long enough for me to delete Genshin then it went back to its loop.

I took it to a repair shop on my break to see if maybe a professional can figure it out. Well, turns out the country I live in doesn't really have any repair/replacement parts for Pixels and the brand itself isn't really common. The guy told me he will try opening it up and disconnecting then reconnecting the battery and seeing if that would help. Spoiler alert: it didn't. He told me it was most probably a hardware or software issue since the battery was charging and it wasn't "inflated" but the phone was still heating up. He closed it back up again and my card declined trying to pay him 5 bucks but that's a story for another time.

Later in the day, I plugged it in and it turned on and charged up to 40-something%. I tried ordering an uber home from work and we were back in the google-black screen loop. I should probably mention that right before it crashes, I get these glitchy pixelated lines on my screen then it shuts down. I gave up on it again. A coworker got me a ride home.

Today, I tried holding down the power button and volume down button to enter the fastboot mode menu. Choosing "start" from that menu did nothing but put it back into its loop. I researched what the rescue mode would do and followed the steps for that as well. Stuck in a loop again. I chose "power off" and then "start." You guessed it, loop again.

Now all my photos and notes are backed up on my Google drive, and I think my contacts are too. So a factory reset would really suck but I wouldn't lose everything permanently. I just really don't know if that truly is my only option now. According to the internet, it is. But hey, I didn't ask reddit. Maybe someone here can give me a better solution. I've never even posted on reddit before this, so that's how desparate I am lol. I'll try my best to answer any questions/comments. I apologize for the lengthy post but I really wanted to include as many details as possible to clarify the issue.

Thank you for any help or advice in advance!

I just bought a new phone and am basically unable to do anything with it because Google is still trying to send security push notifications to my old phone, but now they're just not appearing. It says "put in the number from your phone" but no number ever pops up. I stupidly factory reset already because I didn't realize that, you know, transferring everything to the new phone and disabling service on the old one wouldn't automatically transfer over the security rights, too.

I have tried:

- using the security backup codes from both old and new phone, which are giving me a "wrong code" error despite literally copying them directly from the settings

- using a passkey from my new device on my old phone

- account recovery page which logged me in but is not allowing me to disconnect my old phone because I need to confirm that I want to disconnect it via push notification

Any ideas? Am I just screwed? This is so stupid.

I transferred 2 lines to Google Fi and ordered a Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Google Pixel 11 Pro. Google shipped the wrong phone (a base Pixel 11) instead. For nearly a month, customer support has been stuck in an endless loop of generic responses about "specialist reviews" and "deep dives with the team" with zero progress or accountability. To make matters worse, Google's system keeps sending automated threats to cancel my promotional credits because I haven't activated a phone they never sent me! Save yourself the frustration and avoid Google Fi—their customer service is a total brick wall when things go wrong.

I was curious if something in backups changed. My Google drive suddenly filled up two days ago with, apparently, SMS backup. I cleared some space and it filled again.

I was going to turn off SMS backup, but was curious if something changed to cause this.

I'm a month on pixel 11, after years on pixel 6 without this issue.

Hi, I am recently having trouble where I cannot hear anything when making calls via the phone app. There is no sound on my end or the end of the person calling me. WhatsApp calls still work just fine.

I don't know if this is the right place to post it or it this is allowed but I have some old cases for the P8P that I'm willing to just giveaway otherwise they are getting trashed. If you're interested let me know and just cover shipping and I'll send it over. They are all used and have varying degrees of wear and tear.

2x Peak Design Mobile Everyday Loop Case, Sun

Bellroy Leather Case, Terracotta (Discontinued color)

Mous MagSafe Compatible - Limitless 5.0 - Carbon Fiber

I always used SoundCloud on Android auto, and asked Gemini to search many songs in SoundCloud, but after the last update, Gemini said it can search or do anything on SoundCloud... WTF... Has anyone experienced this issue?

hello all, i apologize if this has been asked before. i did some research before posting but couldn't find the correct cause or answer.

This week my Google Pixel 7 Pro stopped charging when using a usb c to usb c cable. If I use a usb a to usb c cable/brick it charges perfectly fine. This would only be a minor annoyance except for the fact my car uses usb c to usb c connections and i don't have wireless android auto so the only way it'll work is with a cable.

Has anyone experienced this and have a fix? I've had the phone since it came out so it's quite old and i really don't wanna have to get a new cell phone and have a payment again.

Thanks in advance!

Hey!

I’m having an issue with WhatsApp where my microphone sounds very muffled. My friends describe it as “sounding like I’m underwater.”

Here are some more details:

- Phone: Google Pixel 9 Pro.

- I don’t have this issue when recording audio using the Recorder app or during regular phone calls.

- The problem disappears when I use my wireless earbuds (Nothing Ear 3).

- I’ve come across some suggested fixes involving Google Fi, but I don’t have access to that service.

- I’ve also tried updating my phone, but that doesn’t seem to have made any difference.

Has anyone experienced a similar issue or found a solution? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

So I waited to update like usual because I'm afraid of problems. It forced the update and forcibly reboot my phone, now it's stuck in a Boot loop. I can access Fastboot, but other than shut down none of the options do anything other than enter another loop.

I'd like to not wipe my phone since my 2 factor authentication is on it, and besides that, I also can't seem to wipe it even if I wanted to, since I cannot enter recovery mode.

Is there anything I can do at all?
I should mention, the bootloader is locked.

I started a repair with Google for my pixel watch. I was given an RMA and a label to ship it with.

I dropped it in the FedEx box on 9/15. FedEx tracking showed a delivery exception -wrong address about a week later.

Since then, it's been sitting at a FedEx factory in Texas, not moving. FedEx won't give me any information because I don't own the product.

Every time I contact Google support, I have to retell this story, give them the RMA, give them the label, show them the tracking history and then it goes nowhere.

Then they email me and ask me for the details again.

I'm at a loss here and have been without my $400 watch for 6 weeks with no end in sight.

I've asked support to escalate and nothing happens.

Can anyone give me advice as to next steps? I'm willing to post chat histories, shipping labels, FedEx tracking and anything else I can to publicly expose this ridiculous behavior. TIA.

TLDR: Google repair has basically stolen my watch. Any advice?

this phone sucks and i dont know what caused it, at first whenever i'd press/hold down on the power button the charging battery logo and the low battery logo would both flash for a moment. its been on charge for hours so the battery would be full by now if it was charging correctly. i also doubt that my charger is the issue because it always charges fine every other time i use it and i dont see why it would suddenly stop working the one time my phone dies. it also didnt overheat or anything so that wouldnt have caused it.

i think this happened before around when i first got my phone, but i dont remember at all how it got fixed then. i've tried different things that i've read but i havent found anything that explains this.

edit: forgot to mention that nothing shows up on the screen when i press the power button now

i dont know if this breaks the no battery posts rule so it might get deleted, but it feels more like a whole phone issue than the battery.

I just picked up a Pixel 9 and am having trouble with apps. The moment I close them and reopen them, the app thinks it's never been used before.

I have to scroll through, log in, and do text verification EVERY SINGLE TIME. I usually wouldn't mind, but it's apps I use regularly, like the app I use for getting in and out of work.

On my old phone I'd log in once, and I'd be logged in indefinitely no matter how many times I opened and closed them. It's doing it with other apps, but I use those a lot less, so it's not a big deal.

Is there anyway to fix this? Or is it normal?

UPDATE: It's fixed. Since it was suggested more than once I decided to bite the bullet and quickly do a wipe. I only installed the App I use for work and it works perfectly now. I've closed and opened several times, even rebooted my phone and it now keeps me logged in.

I still don't know what the issue was, but a factory reset fixed it.

Hi guys,

I’m new to Pixel and recently bought a Pixel 11 Pro.

I’m planning to use Private Space a little differently than intended. I want to use it to install sideloaded APKs and apps I don’t fully trust, so they remain isolated from my main account and apps.

I’d prefer not to move all my main apps and accounts into Private Space, as that would be too much hassle. Instead, I’d like to isolate just a few potentially untrusted apps. I also don’t plan to sign in to a Google account within Private Space.

Are there any risks or limitations to using Private Space this way? Would this setup provide a reasonable level of isolation from my main profile, or are there any security concerns I should be aware of?

I am a P10PXL user since Dec 2025. Despite some recent hiccups, I have been happy with it. I am coming from a Samsung A21s, an entry level phone that I used for 4 years. Over the years I have used old Apple( IPhone 4s and 5s) and Samsung (S7) flagships.

I have been lurking on this and other Pixel subreddits over the last couple of weeks, and I have generally noticed the posts on these subreddits are negative and critical of Google and the Pixel product.

During this time, I also have been lurking on the IPhone and Samsung subreddits, and these subreddits have almost zero negative posts.

Now I am aware that reddit is a echo chamber and people post only when they have a bad experience. But surely even Apple and Samsung users have bad experiences (I know several Samsung and Apple users who are unhappy with their phone IRL), So curious to know why these subreddits are far more postitive than the Pixel ones? Are they moderated so that all negative posts are removed?

Google has an app, Instant media search plugin, that can locally index all of your photos such that you can search on anything. For example, you can search for planes, red cups, cats on couch, kookaburra and so on. It indexes at about a few photos per second but you have to keep the phone on and the app in focus. The phone, 10XL, doesn't seem to heat up much at all.

Recent update seems to have forced 5 app icons to the bottom of my home screen. I liked having zero icons on my home screen to help reduce phone use. Has anyone figured how to remove these forces 'suggested apps' icons?

Thanks.

Hi All,

Today I have encountered following error on my pixel 5.

Fastboot Mode

Product Revision: redfin MP1.0 (ROW)

Bootloader version: r3-0.6-10489834

Baseband rev.: g7250-00264-230619-B-10346159

Serial number: [Hidden]

Secure-Boot: PRODUCTION

NOS-production: error

DDR: 8Gb Hynix LPDDR4X

Ufs: 128GB SKHynix

Device-State: error!

Boot-slot: b

Enter Reason: failed to load/verify boot images

and following some guides I tried to use Android Flash tool, but it also gave an error

Flash Failed

Fastboot command (flash:bootloader_b) failed: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready'

I have tried to change the version and install but it's all the same. How can I fix this?

Original post with video of the screen issue: https://www.reddit.com/r/pixel_phones/comments/1x79tl2/pixel_9_pro_fold_boot_up_with_striped_like_this/

TL;DR: My Pixel 9 Pro Fold outer screen suddenly developed stripes and died right after an Android software update. I recorded 4K video and photos proving the phone has zero cracks or physical damage and sent it in under the Pixel 9 Pro Fold Extended Warranty Program (https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/16737529). Now Google is holding my phone hostage for $560 (RMA47138160), giving me contradictory stories across different agents, refusing to provide inspection proof, and threatening to return the broken phone unrepaired on October 29, 2026.

The Contradictions in Google’s Own Chat Transcripts

1. Agent #1 (Ines – Case 0-3801000042025) confirms ZERO physical or liquid damage, but claims eligible issues are "secret": * When I asked why I was being charged $560 when my phone has no physical or liquid damage, Ines stated that eligibility rules cannot be shared: "To be eligible, the device must have a specific issue covered under the program. Unfortunately, we are unable to disclose the list of eligible issues." * When I asked for proof from the inspection, she admitted in writing that my phone was not damaged: "Unfortunately, we are unable to provide proof of inspection, as the assessment was conducted by our Hardware Team... Since the inspection confirmed no physical or liquid damage, the reported issue was determined not to fall under the program’s eligible conditions." * She also stated: "To set proper expectations, the inspection team does not provide us any proof but they are the ones who determine this".

2. Agent #2 (Yvaine – Case 9-1223000041722) says the exact opposite—confirming the screen issue IS covered, but claiming "additional damage": * After waiting on a prior escalation, Yvaine told me: "Just to clarify, the screen issue was covered under the ERP. However, during the inspection, the technician identified additional damage to your device." * When I asked for the inspection transcript to see what this supposed "additional damage" was, Yvaine pasted the technician's exact assessment: * "The screen remains blank." * "Lines appear on the display." * "The display flickers." * "The touchscreen is not functioning properly." * "Light leaks from the edges of the display." * "One or more display backlights are not functioning."

Look closely at that list: 1. Not a single item describes physical damage—every line is a display failure symptom. 2. How can a screen "remain blank" while simultaneously showing "lines," "flickering," and "leaking light"? 3. How is a backlight failing on a Pixel 9 Pro Fold when it uses an OLED panel (which doesn't even have a backlight)?

3. Supervisor "Mary" & Email Specialist "Jhoana" keep repeating the loop: * Chat supervisor Mary refused to address the contradiction, stated "our team has found the damages with the device that falls out of the ERP eligibility hence you are getting charged," and told me to wait another 24–48 hours for a repair center "re-assessment". * Email specialist Jhoana then sent a canned response saying they are "unable to provide specific diagnostic data" and repeated that "if your device has additional damage that is not covered under the program warranty, you may be responsible for the repair costs." * Meanwhile, RMA47138160 expires on October 29, 2026, when the repair depot will ship my broken $2,000 phone back to me as-is unless I pay $560.

Verbatim Chat Transcript Excerpts (Redacted)

Transcript 1: Case 0-3801000042025 (Oct 19 – Agent Ines)

11:25:27 AM Jonathan: my device outer screen broke after a software updates, you inspected it 11:26:00 AM Jonathan: and now charing me 560$ for a new replacement ? 11:29:38 AM Ines: May I know if there are any physical damages or liquid intrusions to the device? 11:30:54 AM Jonathan: no liquid no physical damage 11:46:17 AM Ines: To be eligible, the device must have a specific issue covered under the program. Unfortunately, we are unable to disclose the list of eligible issues. 11:58:04 AM Jonathan: can you provide proof of inspection whre it's wrong ? 12:01:42 PM Ines: I understand your concern regarding the inspection results. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide proof of inspection, as the assessment was conducted by our Hardware Team. 12:01:50 PM Ines: Please rest assured that our technicians are trained to determine whether a device qualifies for the Extended Repair Program. Since the inspection confirmed no physical or liquid damage, the reported issue was determined not to fall under the program’s eligible conditions. 12:13:56 PM Ines: To set proper expectations, the inspection team does not provide us any proof but they are the ones who determine this,

Transcript 2: Case 9-1223000041722 (Oct 20 – Agent Yvaine & Supervisor Mary)

9:23:58 AM Yvaine: Just to clarify, the screen issue was covered under the ERP. However, during the inspection, the technician identified additional damage to your device. This is why you received an email stating that your device had been inspected and that your order needs to be updated. Please review and approve the proposed changes by October 29, 2026. If no action is taken by that date, your device will be returned as is. 9:25:03 AM Jonathan: unless there's a detailed transcript of what was actual inspected and what went wrong 9:25:25 AM Jonathan: how could you claim that it's not covered under erp ? 9:34:54 AM Yvaine: Upon checking, the technician’s assessment indicates the following issues with your device’s display: - The screen remains blank. - Lines appear on the display. - The display flickers. - The touchscreen is not functioning properly. - Light leaks from the edges of the display. - One or more display backlights are not functioning.

10:01:39 AM Mary: I understand this is frustrating, especially seeing similar reports from other users but please be informed that our team has found the damages with the device that falls out of the ERP eligibility hence you are getting charged

Summary of Where Things Stand

• Case 0-3801000042025 (Ines): Confirmed in writing that the inspection found no physical or liquid damage, but claimed the screen issue wasn't eligible.
• Case 9-1223000041722 (Yvaine): Confirmed in writing that the screen issue IS covered under the Extended Repair Program, but claimed there was "additional damage".
• Technician Inspection Log: Lists 6 display failure symptoms (including a non-existent OLED "backlight") and zero physical damage.
• Proof Provided: Zero inspection photos, zero diagnostic logs, and a $560 bill.

Paging u/PixelCommunity — my Case IDs are 9-1223000041722 and 0-3801000042025, and my RMA is RMA47138160. Can a senior hardware manager review these two transcripts and waive the invalid $560 fee before the RMA expires on October 29, 2026?