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Google rolled out the January 2026 update for its Pixel smartphones a tad late, fixing a whole bunch of issues on models released as far back as the Pixel 7a. While addressing known nuisances with battery drain, flickering on the AOD (always-on display) screen, and wallpaper reboot bug, the update itself has raised its own fair share of issues. Numerous Pixel smartphone users have reported on Google’s official support forum, Reddit, and X, formerly known as Twitter, that the update is causing issues with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. This won’t be the first time that a Pixel update has raised hell for users, and once again, they are voicing their frustration on public forums.
One user reported on Reddit that the Bluetooth toggle won’t turn on, leaving them without connectivity access to wearables and other peripherals. The user added that opening the Wi-Fi settings page shows a blank screen, with a force close warning due to unknown issues. Multiple reports say the Wi-Fi toggle is automatically disabled. Another user highlighted cellular internet connection issues, too, adding that toggling the airplane mode on and off didn’t offer any respite. A handful of Pixel owners have reported issues with the camera app, which is apparently running in the background and blocks them from activating the flashlight.
Measures such as booting the device in safe mode and resetting the Wi-Fi connections also don’t appear to be working for users. Google support has apparently advised users to perform a factory reset, but as per user testimonies, it doesn’t resolve the issues, either. As per one aggrieved owner, Google’s support has promised to send them a new unit. So far, it’s unclear whether the issues persist at the hardware level, or it’s just a misfiring background component. If you haven’t installed the update yet, avoid it.
The issues triggered by the January 2026 update appear to be affecting the Pixel 8, Pixel 9, and Pixel 10 series. However, it doesn’t appear to be a universal problem. I checked on a Pixel 10 Pro unit active in India, and a Pixel 8 Pro in the UAE, and neither device shows any sign of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-related problems. That doesn’t mean the issues date to be taken lightly, as is evident from the dozens of posts shared by frustrated Pixel smartphone users.
As far as solutions go, Google is yet to officially acknowledge the problem, share a solution, or roll out a corrective update. A Pixel 8 Pro owner says disabling the Google Play Services might work, though. One user on Reddit, however, mentioned that if you sideload the January 2026 OTA update, instead of installing the update as usual, the issues are resolved. Multiple users commented in the same thread that the sideloading trick worked for them, and one user mentioned a similar success story on the official Google community forum, as well.
The latest OTA images corresponding to the January 2026 update are now available from Google’s support hub, and if you install them using the ADB tool, you won’t have to factory reset the device or unlock its bootloader. Google, however, recommends that you create a backup of all the files stored on your phone before attempting to install the update using the OTA images. The process is still fairly technical, and it’s not recommended smartphone user who has never attempted a manual flashing process using a connected PC. Ideally, when a software build starts creating such issues, the rollout is halted, and a fix is released for it. So far, Google has not seeded any such update to the affected Pixel smartphone users.
