Given everything that smartphones can accomplish in the third decade of this century, it’s easy to overlook the phone part.
While we’ve marvelled at the Pixel 6 Series’ Google Tensor processor, the fancy new design language, the excellent new cameras and the might of Android 12, it turns out the phone isn’t much good at making actual phone calls right now.
Google has confirmed it has paused the December update rolling out to Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro smartphones after users reported dropping and disconnected calls. Unfortunately, the fix might not be here until late January either.
With that in mind, it is advising affected users to revert to a previous version of the software in order to reverse the damage caused by the update.
In a post on the Google support page, the company wrote: “The Pixel team paused the December software update to Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro devices after some users reported calls were dropping or disconnecting. We have now identified a fix that will roll out in a software update by late January. This update will also include all the fixes and improvements that were originally planned in December. If you received the December software update on Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro and are still experiencing mobile connectivity issues, you can revert to the previous software version using the Android Flash Tool (flash.android.com) and performing a factory reset. Please back up your phone before restoring to the previous software version. If you are not experiencing mobile connectivity issues, no action is required. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we roll out the fix.”
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It’s not uncommon for Pixel phone owners to deal with teething problems. In fact, it’s pretty much par for the course. Google is also dealing with reports from users of noticeable signal loss since installing the December update.
The company has also disabled a pair of signature calling features following a bug in the update. The Hold For Me feature, which was introduced in 2020 as a means for people to make calls and avoid having to wait on hold for someone to answer, has been disabled for the time being on Pixel 6, Google says in a community post. Likewise, the Call Screening feature, which guards against suspected spam calls, is falling by the wayside temporarily. However, if you haven’t installed the December update yet, you’ll still be able to access both features.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
