Google has begun pushing a small system update to its Pixel 10 series that promises, among other things, to eliminate a longstanding “fuzzy” or “snowy” appearance issue affecting some owners. The patch seeks to remove short cases where the screen would go full visual static and then back to normal, which had affected some review units as well as retail units.
The new build, BD3A.250721.001.E1 and about 31 MB in size, comes with a smaller changelog from Google. But Verizon’s support notes specifically mention a fix for fuzzy displays, and the rollout was first noted by industry watchers at 9to5Google. In brief: if your Pixel 10 screen sometimes looks like an untuned TV, this update should stop it.
What’s actually being fixed in this Pixel 10 display update
Owners say the bug presents impromptu “snow” on the display, spreading grain or fuzz covering the entire screen and lasting minutes at a time; then, occasionally, it will just go away or can be resolved by restarting the phone. Reports describe it around wake events, fast app switches, camera previews, or video playback—situations that push quickly varying refresh rates or the color pipeline.
Google hasn’t officially discussed the root cause, but I think we can extrapolate that it’s a low-level display stack hiccup rather than an app problem. These are usually timing bugs between GPU composition and the display driver, or panel refresh/transition logic. Such behavior can be solved by a firmware-side hack to driver timing and/or composition paths in order to compensate, without forcing every user of this patch through the rigmarole.
Who this update is for and how to download and install it
The update is rolling out now to all Pixel 10-series phones, not just unlocked models but carrier ones as well. To look for it: Settings > System > System update. It is a small download; however, remember that you’ll have to restart your phone after installing the patch. If you don’t see it right away, check back later—rollouts can be staggered based on location and carrier.
Since the patch is a stability fix, it’s worth updating even if you’ve only seen this issue once. Carriers will occasionally stage this sort of fix as a “maintenance release,” which accounts for the incongruence between the minuscule changelog and an enormously impactful remedy when it impacts users experiencing it.
Early signs of improvement and remaining open questions
Early indications are that the fuzz has stopped coming back after the update, but we will have to wait a little longer for broader confirmation, as more devices begin to receive the patch. Google had previously mentioned that it started rolling fixes out and there would be more to come, so this build sounds like one of those smaller patches chasing edge cases.
One remaining question is whether the glitch had multiple causes. Similarly, display artifacts can pop up under a variety of conditions—adaptive refresh rate changes, HDR transitions, or camera-to-viewfinder handovers. In the event you still encounter fuzz upon updating, this is probably that rare case where custom configs will need to be tweaked a bit more.
Context: a typical early-cycle display update dilemma
For premium phones, display quality is crucial—and small artifacts can erode confidence quickly. Early-cycle display quirks—flicker or tint shifts reported on community forums and Google’s Issue Tracker—in previous Pixel generations are usually worked out with subsequent firmware pushes. The Pixel 10 fix follows that playbook: limited patch, minimal download, maximum user benefit.
It is also a reminder that modern display stacks are arcane. There are a few moving parts between variable refresh rates, aggressive power management, and GPU composition. On the bright side, for the most part such issues can be ironed out by software fixes without a need to swap hardware.
What to try if the update doesn’t resolve the issue
If you get the white screen bug again after installing the update, restart your phone and verify that the build number shows “BD3A.250721.001.E1” in Settings > About phone. You can also temporarily toggle Smooth Display and adaptive brightness to see if behavior shifts, and file a report using the Feedback app that includes a bug report attachment so Google can locate conditions.
If the issue persists, follow up with Google Support for additional testing. This is a rare case in which software fixed the issue, but persistent artifacts following such updates can be a signal of some panel-level issue warranting repair or replacement.
Bottom line: A relatively small patch that contains an essential fix for Pixel 10 owners. Get it installed on your device as soon as it lands to keep the display nice and stable.