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Scary Pixel 6 911 bug is leaving people high and dry

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By Anam Hamid

Updated: Oct 09, 2022, 11:07 AM

Scary Pixel 6 911 bug is leaving people high and dry

Google's previous generation Pixel phones and bugs go hand in hand but in the company's defense, these were its first phones with a proprietary chip and it has done a reasonably good job of quashing bugs. That said, it's one thing to wait for a fix for, let's say, a flickering display, and another to not being able to get through to emergency services and some Pixel users have reported having experienced the latter.

As first reported by Android Police, some Pixel owners have complained on Reddit and Google's support forum that their Pixel phones are unable to call emergency services like 911 in the United States and 000 in Australia.

Although only a small number of users, primarily Pixel 6 and 6a owners, appear to have been affected, this is one bug that's just not acceptable and is the last thing you would expect your phone to fail at.

Reddit user seykrits narrate that they were unable to solicit help for a man who had passed out.

Just found an unresponsive man passed out next to his vehicle.When I tried to dial 000 the phone displayed my location and did nothing else, there was no ringtone and it never connected to emergency services (see screenshot). I had to run 2 minutes down the road to find help from someone with a functioning phone.The time I spent looking for someone instead of performing CPR may of contributed to this mans passing.

User KitchenPicture5849 also has a harrowing tale to tell. Their Pixel phone got stuck after they dialed 911 to call an ambulance for their grandma.

I had to call an ambulance for the grandmother on Friday as she appeared to be having a stroke. I got off a phone call with my mom, and proceeded to dial 911 just by typing and calling on my pixel. My phone got stuck immediately after one ring and I was unable to do anything other than click through apps with an emergency phone call running in the background.

Luckily my grandmother is of the generation that still has a land line, otherwise I would have had to restart my phone, wait for a reboot, and then attempt to call emergency services so they could get people over asap. I'll let you know from experience that the last thing you want to go wrong during an actual emergency is your phone to mess up. Especially when time is of the essence, and the faster you get emergency services to your door, the more likely it is that you will survive.

This is reminiscent of last year's Microsoft Teams bug which prevented some Android phones from connecting to emergency services.

It's not clear if the October Pixel update has fixed the issue, but judging by the changelog, that doesn't seem to be the case.

Google is one of the best phone makers we have currently but bugs have hampered the experience for many users. Here is hoping that the newly launched Pixel 7 duo will provide a smoother experience and that Google will deploy a fix for the emergency calling bug ASAP. Google apparently expects to double it sales next year, but this would be difficult to achieve if the Pixel 7 also ends up being a bug-prone phone.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

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