Pixel and Nexus devices exhibit lock screen issues after updating to Android 8.1 Oreo, Google working on fix
The issue makes it harder to unlock the phone, removing notifications and pulling down the notification bar.
Some Google Pixel and Nexus device users have reported a new lock screen swiping issue. The problem has reportedly surfaced after the smartphones were updated to Android 8.1 Oreo. As per a post on Android Product Forums, users are having trouble unlocking their devices by swiping up on their display lock screens. The touch is also unresponsive for some users while swiping away the notifications on the lock screen and pulling down the notification bar.
The issue dates back to November last year. The original poster on the Product Forums page said, “When swiping up to unlock from the lock screen, I have to swipe all the way up to the top of the screen. Otherwise, it does not prompt for the pin but just bounces the notifications. I don't remember having to swipe so far before. A short swipe up sometimes works but I have to try 3 or 4 times before it recognizes what I am trying to do.”
Orrin, a community manager from Google assured that the company has taken note of the issue and is looking into it. A Redditor said that rebooting the affected Pixel and Nexus devices in safe mode mitigated the issue, but it didn't work for others. Google rolled out the stable Android 8.1 Oreo for the Nexus and Pixel smartphones last month. The update also activates the Google Pixel’s Visual Core which is the company’s custom-designed image processor with machine learning.