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I got a Pixel 6 Pro a few months ago, and it's without question the worst phone I've ever had the displeasure to own. - It crashes constantly. - Bluetooth is

I got a Pixel 6 Pro a few months ago, and it's without question the worst phone I've ever had the displeasure to own. - It crashes constantly. - Bluetooth is even buggier than usual. - Fingerprint unlock is very finicky. - The touchscreen isn't designed/calibrated well and leads to constant fat finger presses. - The hotspot is buggy to connect and randomly drops once it does connect. - The phone is so slick (ie low friction) that it will randomly slide and fall off of slightly off-level surfaces. - It feels like this was released without anyone living with the phone for even a couple weeks and trying normal use cases... Anyway - I've been really disappointed there haven't been updates to fix some of this stuff. I've heard this may be because of hardware issues, but I haven't looked that deeply. I've owned Pixel phones before and like the no BS + Google Apps-centric approach, but this phone really soured me on Google phones. :-(

mikesabat 4y ago
I got a Pixel 6a a few days back and just pocket dialed someone for the first time in 5 years. My last phone was the 4a and the 6a seems worse in many ways. I haven't traded the 4a in yet because I might just move back. Are there any good alternative phones on Project Fi?
- wildrhythms 4y ago
  I'm on the 5A and no issues. Great phone. Still has a headphone jack.
zamalek 4y ago
I got on the Pixel rollercoaster at 1 (a great device), and got off after 4. 2, 3,and (especially) 4 all either had a common feature missing, or did some annoying shit. Seems like I made the right choice. Unfortunately, it looks like OnePlus was a poor choice. Guess I'm turning to Nothing next.
- Buttons840 4y ago
  I'm still using a Pixel 1, but it's starting to die at even 30% battery, and hasn't had software updates for to long. Wish devices weren't designed / destined to fail.
- hocuspocus 4y ago
  The 5 is okay. After owning many Google phones since the Nexus era I think Google should really focus on making good mid-range phones and simply give up on the high-end entirely. It's not like they're really trying to sell hardware anyway (you can't buy them in most of the world) so I doubt it makes any real money. The fact the Pixel line looks like a hobby project year after year is just sad at this point.
Tijdreiziger 4y ago
So where do we go from here? I have a Samsung Galaxy S9 at the moment, but Samsung's typo-filled changelogs don't exactly inspire confidence. It has also been bugging me to accept the new Samsung Account terms, which I don't want to do. Chinese brands (Huawei, Xiaomi, Motorola, etc.) don't inspire confidence for me either. Apple had the CSAM scanning controversy. I have an iPad, but a bunch of features I didn't want were turned on by default, and the walled garden approach is obviously a downside. I would prefer to run a privacy-focused Android distribution, but I have a lot of apps and I don't know how much they depend on Google Play Services, so I don't really want to switch over 'cold turkey'. Also, they're still built on the same AOSP base, so who's to say they don't have the same bugs?
- gfd 4y ago
  I didn't consider Motorola a Chinese brand but apparently they were sold by Google to Lenovo in 2014 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Mobility https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Mobility
- happyopossum 4y ago
  > Apple had the CSAM scanning controversy. You mean like Google’s recent CSAM controversy? At least Apple never proposed using ML to find new CSAM and report you to the police with a single violation…
  - vetinari 4y ago
    No, he meant Apple's CSAM controversy. Apple wanted to scan files on your device, while Google scans stuff you upload to their cloud.
    - Spooky23 4y ago
      Not really. It was a controversy created by a poorly written Apple press release that unveiled two distinct features, and subsequently ginned up by an even worse EFF blog post. CSAM scanning was all about iCloud, just like every other vendor, and the benefit was a roadmap to E2E storage. The more confusing thing was the explicit content notifications for parents for their minor children in family plans. So instead, just like everyone else, you almost certainly have CSAM scanning happening in iCloud directly. All of your content is just a subpoena away. Thanks EFF.
morpheuskafka 4y ago
I was checking out the Android competition ahead of the iPhone 14 announcement and I was shocked that all of the flagships seem to have major usability complaints. I always thought that the UX might be a little worse, but Android would be ahead on hardware (battery, camera, etc). I thought the whole carriers doing updates and all that would have been fixed by now, but it seems like only Pixel has. What is keeping people still on Android if the flagships have so many issues?
- MontyCarloHall 4y ago
  >What is keeping people still on Android if the flagships have so many issues? Not much, apparently. In the US at least, iPhone usage has been steadily eroding Android usage; indeed, as of this summer, the US iPhone userbase became larger than the Android userbase [0]. [0] https://archive.ph/r6PbO https://archive.ph/r6PbO
- QuarterReptile 4y ago
  >What is keeping people still on Android if the flagships have so many issues? Many things boil down to research I'd have to do to convince myself of feature parity for things important to me. Micro SD cards are mostly gone from Android and also not so important to me as they once we're, so that reason is effectively gone. In no particular order: 1. You're stuck with iMessager, which at least means I can't keep Signal as my default messaging app, and probably means other downsides. 2. Old ipods and my iPad don't seem to even allow file transfer with my computer via USB. I don't know if you can transfer files directly to/from external hard drives. 3. Lightning cables (maybe iPhones don't have these anymore?) 4. I suspect that there are missing features if you don't have a MacBook, but I haven't looked into it. 5. I have apps I know and like. For starters, I would have to find a podcast app that I liked. AFAIK you still can't use FF with ublock origin on iPhones, which means I would have to migrate all my browser activity to something else. 6. Keeping my Android phone at least lets me pretend that I'll migrate over to GrapheneOS like I should. 7. I like having access to FDroid. AFAIK, iPhones have no analogue. 8. It seems like the iPhone mini is missing a fingerprint reader, which means only the SE is appealing. Anyway, I thought pretty hard about it with my last phone because 2 of 4 Apple phones are the best 2 smaller phones, but it would be a lot of inconvenience just to have a smaller phone.
wiseowise 4y ago
Huh. I wonder where are all the Android/Pixel apologists that say that to taste "real" Android you have to use Pixel. (And I say that as an Android developer, before downvotes come my way)
- whimsicalism 4y ago
  I think they say that about the software, not the hardware.
  - wiseowise 4y ago
    Literally every issue listed seems like a software issue to me.
    - whimsicalism 4y ago
      Excited for the "friction" firmware update!
      - wiseowise 4y ago
        Okay, there's one hardware issue out of seven, I stand corrected.
- ssizn 4y ago
  Because as shitty as pixel phones are, they are still better than the rest of android phones.
  - aaaaaaaaata 4y ago
    Top of the line. And this is coming from someone who had their display cable come unclicked after a two inch drop. Best, most rugged used hardware available right now. Pair with GrapheneOS.org for best results.
- fomine3 4y ago
  A problem is that "real" Android is often not greater than modified Android.
mda 4y ago
As an anecdote point, I didn't have any of these issues, I think standby battery drain was a bit high but after a few updates it got better, still not ideal though.
wnevets 4y ago
Weird, I haven't noticed any of those issues and I bought my 6 pro used. Am I just lucky?
jabart 4y ago
Pixel 6 (non-pro) user here. The fingerprint unlock is a bit finicky at some odd angles but none of these other issue. Replaced a Pixel 3a and just feels a bit faster, 5g, and bigger screen.
DrudgeCorporate 4y ago
I apparently have been living in my own bubble. Has the pixel 6 been a bad phone in general? I haven't had a single issue with mine and I bought it day one.
- whatevertrevor 4y ago
  Same here, have a pixel 6 pro and the only think I can relate with is the somewhat janky fingerprint sensor. Have not had a single crash, everything works smoothly.
- hocuspocus 4y ago
  Lots of people have complained about the fingerprint reader, poor cell reception, and recently the Android 13 update that killed their battery life.
- koyote 4y ago
  Same here, it's actually very weird seeing the endless posts of users in places like reddit (and here now) complaining about things that just never happen on my phone. I've had Android phones since 1.5 and the pixel 6 has been flawless for me.
- GOATS- 4y ago
  6 Pro here as well. I've generally had a solid experience with some minor quirks - I have had issues with inaccurate GPS/compass needing constant calibration and Chrome freezing up every now and then.
- mda 4y ago
  I have Pixel 6, so far only minor things, otherwise great.
phil21 4y ago
I don't have any of the crashing issues others seem to, but I absolutely agree the Pixel 6 Pro was a large regression - the Pixel 3 Pro was probably the best phone I've owned. Fingerprint reader is inexcusably bad. I tried to just get used to it, but from a form factor and implementation standpoint it's a huge step back in useability. Battery life is also pretty bad for the size of battery in the phone. Runs hot doing anything remotely CPU intensive. I'm hopeful the Pixel 7 fixes most of these regressions. If not, it may be time to look at an iphone after nearly two decades of resistance.
mochomocha 4y ago
I have a non-pro version, but I can definitely relate to the "too slick, it randomly slides" problem - especially bad because the back camera protrudes. It's pretty ridiculous, my phone ends up on the floor multiple times a day despite me being the careful kind when it comes to electronics.
dmitrygr 4y ago
> It feels like this was released without anyone living with the phone for even a couple weeks and trying normal use cases... Google used to have a very robust dogfooding in program internally. Back in 2012 - 2015. Everybody inside the android org was using the latest devices before release. This is not nearly the case anymore.
- hocuspocus 4y ago
  The Nexus at that time were full of bugs too.
amelius 4y ago
These are issues you'd not even expect from a Pine or Librem Phone ...
KennyBlanken 4y ago
It's funny to see that "so slick it slides off surfaces all on its own" is an issue that dates back to the Nexus 4.

mikesabat 4y ago

I got a Pixel 6a a few days back and just pocket dialed someone for the first time in 5 years. My last phone was the 4a and the 6a seems worse in many ways. I haven't traded the 4a in yet because I might just move back. Are there any good alternative phones on Project Fi?

wildrhythms 4y ago
I'm on the 5A and no issues. Great phone. Still has a headphone jack.

zamalek 4y ago

I got on the Pixel rollercoaster at 1 (a great device), and got off after 4. 2, 3,and (especially) 4 all either had a common feature missing, or did some annoying shit. Seems like I made the right choice. Unfortunately, it looks like OnePlus was a poor choice. Guess I'm turning to Nothing next.

Buttons840 4y ago
I'm still using a Pixel 1, but it's starting to die at even 30% battery, and hasn't had software updates for to long. Wish devices weren't designed / destined to fail.
hocuspocus 4y ago
The 5 is okay. After owning many Google phones since the Nexus era I think Google should really focus on making good mid-range phones and simply give up on the high-end entirely. It's not like they're really trying to sell hardware anyway (you can't buy them in most of the world) so I doubt it makes any real money. The fact the Pixel line looks like a hobby project year after year is just sad at this point.

Tijdreiziger 4y ago

So where do we go from here? I have a Samsung Galaxy S9 at the moment, but Samsung's typo-filled changelogs don't exactly inspire confidence. It has also been bugging me to accept the new Samsung Account terms, which I don't want to do. Chinese brands (Huawei, Xiaomi, Motorola, etc.) don't inspire confidence for me either. Apple had the CSAM scanning controversy. I have an iPad, but a bunch of features I didn't want were turned on by default, and the walled garden approach is obviously a downside. I would prefer to run a privacy-focused Android distribution, but I have a lot of apps and I don't know how much they depend on Google Play Services, so I don't really want to switch over 'cold turkey'. Also, they're still built on the same AOSP base, so who's to say they don't have the same bugs?

gfd 4y ago
I didn't consider Motorola a Chinese brand but apparently they were sold by Google to Lenovo in 2014 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Mobility https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Mobility
happyopossum 4y ago
> Apple had the CSAM scanning controversy. You mean like Google’s recent CSAM controversy? At least Apple never proposed using ML to find new CSAM and report you to the police with a single violation…
- vetinari 4y ago
  No, he meant Apple's CSAM controversy. Apple wanted to scan files on your device, while Google scans stuff you upload to their cloud.
  - Spooky23 4y ago
    Not really. It was a controversy created by a poorly written Apple press release that unveiled two distinct features, and subsequently ginned up by an even worse EFF blog post. CSAM scanning was all about iCloud, just like every other vendor, and the benefit was a roadmap to E2E storage. The more confusing thing was the explicit content notifications for parents for their minor children in family plans. So instead, just like everyone else, you almost certainly have CSAM scanning happening in iCloud directly. All of your content is just a subpoena away. Thanks EFF.

morpheuskafka 4y ago

I was checking out the Android competition ahead of the iPhone 14 announcement and I was shocked that all of the flagships seem to have major usability complaints. I always thought that the UX might be a little worse, but Android would be ahead on hardware (battery, camera, etc). I thought the whole carriers doing updates and all that would have been fixed by now, but it seems like only Pixel has. What is keeping people still on Android if the flagships have so many issues?

MontyCarloHall 4y ago
>What is keeping people still on Android if the flagships have so many issues? Not much, apparently. In the US at least, iPhone usage has been steadily eroding Android usage; indeed, as of this summer, the US iPhone userbase became larger than the Android userbase [0]. [0] https://archive.ph/r6PbO https://archive.ph/r6PbO
QuarterReptile 4y ago
>What is keeping people still on Android if the flagships have so many issues? Many things boil down to research I'd have to do to convince myself of feature parity for things important to me. Micro SD cards are mostly gone from Android and also not so important to me as they once we're, so that reason is effectively gone. In no particular order: 1. You're stuck with iMessager, which at least means I can't keep Signal as my default messaging app, and probably means other downsides. 2. Old ipods and my iPad don't seem to even allow file transfer with my computer via USB. I don't know if you can transfer files directly to/from external hard drives. 3. Lightning cables (maybe iPhones don't have these anymore?) 4. I suspect that there are missing features if you don't have a MacBook, but I haven't looked into it. 5. I have apps I know and like. For starters, I would have to find a podcast app that I liked. AFAIK you still can't use FF with ublock origin on iPhones, which means I would have to migrate all my browser activity to something else. 6. Keeping my Android phone at least lets me pretend that I'll migrate over to GrapheneOS like I should. 7. I like having access to FDroid. AFAIK, iPhones have no analogue. 8. It seems like the iPhone mini is missing a fingerprint reader, which means only the SE is appealing. Anyway, I thought pretty hard about it with my last phone because 2 of 4 Apple phones are the best 2 smaller phones, but it would be a lot of inconvenience just to have a smaller phone.

wiseowise 4y ago

Huh. I wonder where are all the Android/Pixel apologists that say that to taste "real" Android you have to use Pixel. (And I say that as an Android developer, before downvotes come my way)

whimsicalism 4y ago
I think they say that about the software, not the hardware.
- wiseowise 4y ago
  Literally every issue listed seems like a software issue to me.
  - whimsicalism 4y ago
    Excited for the "friction" firmware update!
    - wiseowise 4y ago
      Okay, there's one hardware issue out of seven, I stand corrected.
ssizn 4y ago
Because as shitty as pixel phones are, they are still better than the rest of android phones.
- aaaaaaaaata 4y ago
  Top of the line. And this is coming from someone who had their display cable come unclicked after a two inch drop. Best, most rugged used hardware available right now. Pair with GrapheneOS.org for best results.
fomine3 4y ago
A problem is that "real" Android is often not greater than modified Android.

mda 4y ago

As an anecdote point, I didn't have any of these issues, I think standby battery drain was a bit high but after a few updates it got better, still not ideal though.

wnevets 4y ago

Weird, I haven't noticed any of those issues and I bought my 6 pro used. Am I just lucky?

jabart 4y ago

Pixel 6 (non-pro) user here. The fingerprint unlock is a bit finicky at some odd angles but none of these other issue. Replaced a Pixel 3a and just feels a bit faster, 5g, and bigger screen.

DrudgeCorporate 4y ago

I apparently have been living in my own bubble. Has the pixel 6 been a bad phone in general? I haven't had a single issue with mine and I bought it day one.

whatevertrevor 4y ago
Same here, have a pixel 6 pro and the only think I can relate with is the somewhat janky fingerprint sensor. Have not had a single crash, everything works smoothly.
hocuspocus 4y ago
Lots of people have complained about the fingerprint reader, poor cell reception, and recently the Android 13 update that killed their battery life.
koyote 4y ago
Same here, it's actually very weird seeing the endless posts of users in places like reddit (and here now) complaining about things that just never happen on my phone. I've had Android phones since 1.5 and the pixel 6 has been flawless for me.
GOATS- 4y ago
6 Pro here as well. I've generally had a solid experience with some minor quirks - I have had issues with inaccurate GPS/compass needing constant calibration and Chrome freezing up every now and then.
mda 4y ago
I have Pixel 6, so far only minor things, otherwise great.

phil21 4y ago

I don't have any of the crashing issues others seem to, but I absolutely agree the Pixel 6 Pro was a large regression - the Pixel 3 Pro was probably the best phone I've owned. Fingerprint reader is inexcusably bad. I tried to just get used to it, but from a form factor and implementation standpoint it's a huge step back in useability. Battery life is also pretty bad for the size of battery in the phone. Runs hot doing anything remotely CPU intensive. I'm hopeful the Pixel 7 fixes most of these regressions. If not, it may be time to look at an iphone after nearly two decades of resistance.

mochomocha 4y ago

I have a non-pro version, but I can definitely relate to the "too slick, it randomly slides" problem - especially bad because the back camera protrudes. It's pretty ridiculous, my phone ends up on the floor multiple times a day despite me being the careful kind when it comes to electronics.

dmitrygr 4y ago

> It feels like this was released without anyone living with the phone for even a couple weeks and trying normal use cases... Google used to have a very robust dogfooding in program internally. Back in 2012 - 2015. Everybody inside the android org was using the latest devices before release. This is not nearly the case anymore.

hocuspocus 4y ago
The Nexus at that time were full of bugs too.

amelius 4y ago

These are issues you'd not even expect from a Pine or Librem Phone ...

KennyBlanken 4y ago

It's funny to see that "so slick it slides off surfaces all on its own" is an issue that dates back to the Nexus 4.