The Google Pixel phones have been known to be plagued with multiple bugs ever since launch, and now, a recent disclosure out of email exchanges between Google Store Support and a customer has revealed that the Pixel phones have a hardware issue that affects the audio, and the same has been known to Google for a while.
Mark Buckman was among the first to raise a flag on this, uploading a video on YouTube that displayed the static distortion issue of Google Pixel’s audio playback. While the problem is seemingly infrequent, it still registers when certain frequencies are played by the speaker. It also did not seem to be an isolated, device-specific issue, as Buckman has replaced five units of his Pixel XL since buying the smartphone. The issue leads to cracking noises relayed by the Pixel XL’s speaker, and since Buckman posted about this on a Reddit thread, many others have come forth and claimed that they too have been suffering from the same issue.
In response, Google’s Store Support team acknowledged the issue, stating that it is a known hardware issue affecting a certain build of all the Pixel phones and cannot be solved by a software update. The team also initially offered a refund to Buckman, but following the lapse of 14 days following the refund offer, Google Store Support has offered to replace the unit for him. The Support team has also said that currently, no refunds are being processed based on the same issue.
Since launch, the Google Pixel and Pixel XL have garnered widespread acclaim. Despite positive feedback, the phones have been affected by multiple camera issues, most of which Google has managed to address via software updates till date. It remains to be seen exactly how many devices are presently suffering from the static distortion flaw in Pixel’s audio, and how Google responds if the number of complaints keep increasing.