Latest Pixel Update Either Greatest Ever or Buggiest Ever

The big update that landed on Pixel phones last week arrived as Android 17 QPR1 and with some new Pixel Drop features. We had been testing this update through 9 different beta versions as Google worked to dial in bugs and get it to a polished state before releasing to the masses. Now that everyone outside of Pixel 11 owners has had it on their devices for a while, we’re starting to see feedback that is all over the board.

The Android 17 QPR1 update is either the greatest Pixel update ever or the buggiest.

Again, we went through a lengthy beta program for Android 17 QPR1 that started back in April and reached Beta 9 in mid-August before being finalized. Google fixed bugs throughout each beta release and then included another 20+ bug fixes in the final build last week, that we detailed in full.

So what’s great and also not-so-great about this new Pixel update?

Battery life is both good and bad. Within the first few days of the update dropping, a Pixel 9 user started a reddit thread to claim that the update had improved his battery life, and shared a screenshot showing 8.5 hours of screen-on time. Others with a Pixel 10 and Pixel 6 agreed, while some weren’t so sure.

Since that thread, we’ve seen at least 3 more that all claim battery life is worse, maybe even “significantly” worse in some situations. One Pixel 10 Pro user joked that battery life was “originally bad” and “got worse” after the update.

But again, no one can seem to agree on whether or not the update has been good or bad for battery life. Some claim that there are big improvements, while others are growing frustrated at what they believe to be a downgrade.

Performance issues or not. There have certainly been reports of performance issues following the update, which we see pretty regularly following big builds like this. There are threads with Pixel 7, Pixel 8, and Pixel 9a owners all complaining that things feel “super laggy.” One of them straight up said the “Sept update was not good.”

One Pixel 8 owner went into detail on their phone now being choppy when charging. They tried what they could to diagnose the issue and simply can’t figure it out, but just said “it’s never been this bad after an update.”

Not everyone was in agreement, though. Plenty said they had no such performance issues following the update and many offered tips on how to try and fix them, like clearing cache on system apps (like the Pixel Launcher), rebooting, or booting to Safe Mode to see if the issues persist.

How to fix Pixel update bugs and issues

There are rarely any single fixes that will erase issues like the ones we talked about above. Most require clearing cache (and sometimes storage) on some of the major apps on your phone. Of course, if you were to do this with something like the Pixel Launcher, you would have to re-set your entire home screen, so proceed with caution.

Factory resetting your phone is almost always going to be a good bet to fix issues. If your phone is getting a bit older, like a Pixel 7 or Pixel 8, think about when the last time you ran a factory reset? Have you ever? It might be worth a try to give yourself a mostly-fresh phone experience. And by the way, Google’s backup and restore on Pixel phones are actually pretty good now.

To factory reset your Pixel phone, you’ll head into Settings>System>Reset options and then tap “Erase all date (factory reset).”

Let us know how Android 17 QPR1 is running on your Pixel phone.

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