The Pixel 10 ships with a faster Tensor chip and a slicker version of the software, but its early owners are reporting a few deal-breaking bugs. From emergency call hitches to display abnormalities and fussy services, here is a brief list of the typical Pixel 10 problems and fixes that get results.
You can’t make or receive emergency calls or audio is poor quality
This is the most serious report, and it pinpoints the issue pretty well: 911 or 112 calls may fail to go through to dispatchers, or the calls may go through but with the audio and tones all garbled, two‑way communication is obviously out of the question.
Plus they estimate that the vast majority of emergency calls are made via mobile devices, so any reliability wobble is simply not something they can accept.
What to try next: update your system (Settings > System > System update) and any Google Play system and app updates, particularly Carrier Services and Phone. Turn off Wi‑Fi Calling and Bluetooth temporarily, then try again; if your carrier supports it, turn VoLTE off/on and force LTE (4G) instead of 5G for testing. If you want to check without tying up emergency lines, call your local public safety agency’s non‑emergency number to schedule a test. If you continue to have an issue, try a different emergency phone, call your carrier to reprovision your line and escalate to Google support. Please report a feedback (Settings > About phone > Send feedback), and then we can details about your call time, location, logs.
There are static or multicolored bars in a display
Various owners report occasional “snow,” flicker, or rainbow bands. The phone still works under those, suggesting that it’s less likely a dead panel and more likely a graphics driver glitch, but permanent artifacts could still indicate a hardware issue.
Fixes to try: lightening the load on the render pipeline. Turn off Smooth Display or set the refresh rate to 60Hz, and turn off HDR video when available in supported apps, and switch from Adaptive to Natural color on the Pixel 4. Restart, then test it in Safe Mode (press and hold the Power button, tap and hold Power off on the screen, and then tap OK) to see if it’s a third-party app that’s causing the problem. Do a clear cache to the Pixel Launcher and maybe Display‑related services, and wipe the cache partition through recovery (Power off > hold Power + Volume down for bootloader > select Recovery Mode and press Power + Volume up to show the menu at the same time > Wipe cache partition). If the artifacts continues to come back, take pictures/video and request an RMA.
RCS Chat features not enabling
RCS in Google Messages gets stuck on “Setting up…,” which often means your number might be lingering on an older device. This is a widespread gotcha for any carrier leveraging the GSMA Universal Profile.
Try this: In Messages > Settings > RCS chats, turn off Chat features, wait 30 seconds, and then turn it back on. Deregister your number from any old phone (Google’s Deactivate Chat service can assist) Clear cache for messages and carrier services and turn off any VPN then try again. If the activation process continues to hang, your carrier might need to reset RCS provisioning at their end for your line.
Android Auto is slow or won’t connect
One issue that owners have reported include lag in refresh rate, input lag, and random disconnections. Head‑unit firmware incompatibility is a common issue when new devices are released.
Quick wins: Update Android Auto, Google Play Services, Maps, and your car’s infotainment firmware. For wired sessions, employ a good quality short USB‑C cable rated for data and (USB 3. x if available). For BT, make sure the car is 5GHz/WPA2, and do a forget/re‑pair on both the phone and the head unit. Turn off Battery Optimization for Android Auto, Google Play Services and Google Assistant. If wireless continues to be flaky, go with wired until a patch lands.
Google Wallet not able to add cards
Some banks — Citi gets mentioned a lot — won’t enable tokenization while you are setting up. That might be a real issuer risk check or a software incompatibility after migration.
Before calling support: -Verify the phone has a screen lock and NFC enabled -Verify phone’s region and time zone settings are correct -Verify Play Protect certification; Wallet and Play services should be up-to-date, unlocked bootloaders or rooted can block Wallet based on issuer rules and EMVCo compliance. Clear Wallet and Play Services cache and try adding the card from your bank app. If it doesn’t work, the user can call the bank to authorize the tokenisation request or use a different eligible card.
Random crashes and AI feature hiccups
Users have reported issues such as the camera freezing, the Settings app crashing and AI features that refuse to start. Launch‑window instability is par for course; Google’s first security patch and then first Feature Drop usually stamp out a couple dozen issues.
Practical takeaway: Apply the newest system build and Google Play system update plus an update for core Google apps. And then clear the cache/data for the Camera app, reset app preferences (go to Settings > Apps > and reset app preferences), and opt out of any beta programs for Messages, Photos, or the Google app. Use Safe Mode to see if third‑party apps are the problem. If you’re facing issues after transferring a device, back up the device and reformat for a clean factory reset.
What recruits need to do
Safe Mode: press and hold Power, touch and hold Power off, then tap OK when Safe Mode appears. If the problems disappear, test deleting apps you’ve recently installed, particularly if they have overlays, VPNs, or battery managers.
Wipe cache partition: power off. Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons, continue / proceed to bootloader mode by selecting it. If you see the Android mascot, press and hold Power and tap Volume Up. Select Wipe cache partition, and reboot.
Factory reset: back up first. Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data. If the phone is not responding, use the Recovery Mode and choose Wipe data/factory reset.
Immediately escalate if emergency calling is not reliable, or if display artifacts remain after doing the above steps. Call your carrier for lines to be reprovisioned, reach out to Google Support for device-level troubleshooting and/or to set up replacement (if they determine it’s necessary), and attach logs through the built-in feedback tool in order to help with triage testing. The first monthly patch cycle generally fixes most launch bugs — leave auto‑updates on.