The latest Pixel update from Google, released in August, addresses significant issues with the Android navigation systems, particularly the three-button and gesture navigation interfaces that users found to be unresponsive.
Problems with navigation began surfacing soon after the launch of Android 16 in June. Users reported that their navigation systems were “a complete mess,” encountering issues such as buttons that became “completely unresponsive” or delays exceeding “30 seconds” on devices like the Pixel 8 Pro. Another user mentioned resorting to multiple presses of the back button on their Pixel 9 to ensure the command was registered. Additionally, the back swipe gesture intermittently failed, drawing attention from various users and media sources.
The patch notes issued by Google simply state that the navigation issues would arise under “certain conditions.” Alongside fixing navigation problems, the update includes enhancements to device stability, resolves an issue concerning scheduled dark theme functionality, and introduces a critical security update addressing a high-severity vulnerability related to remote code execution.
This update is currently being rolled out to Pixel 6 models and newer.
