Danny Weber
After the March and April 2026 updates, Google Pixel phones and Pixel Buds face issues like ANC toggles disappearing and battery drain, with no universal fix.
Following the March and April 2026 updates, Google Pixel users have begun complaining about new problems. This time, the issues extend beyond the phones to the Pixel Buds and Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds. Some owners are having difficulty accessing the active noise cancellation and transparency mode settings.
Normally, ANC on the Pixel Buds is controlled via gestures, the Pixel Buds app, or through the expanded volume slider menu. But after the March update, that last method began to malfunction. Reddit users report that the noise cancellation and transparency toggle either vanishes from the menu or behaves erratically.
Standard troubleshooting steps have not resolved the issue. Owners have tried restarting phones, reconnecting the earbuds, and clearing cache, but the bug persists. Some users say the April update initially fixed it, only for the problem to reappear days later. In a discussion, a Google representative recommended updating or resetting the Pixel Buds, and contacting support if the issue remains.
Meanwhile, Pixel owners are also complaining about phone performance. After the March update, reports of performance drops and accelerated battery drain emerged, and some say the April patch made things worse. Users note stuttering while scrolling, typing lag, and other strange interface glitches.
One Pixel 7 Pro owner even reported erratic scrolling behavior. The r/GooglePixel community has yet to find a universal fix, leading many to attribute the problems to the two most recent system updates. If confirmed, Google will have to issue an additional fix for affected models.
The situation looks particularly bad in light of similar complaints from other manufacturers. Previously, Samsung Galaxy phone and Galaxy smartwatch owners also reported sudden battery drain after a major security patch, and iPhone 17 users encountered their own software problems. All this raises questions about the update quality for premium devices that should remain stable after new software versions are installed.
© A. Krivonosov