The latest January 2023 Pixel update is now available, but unfortunately, it's causing more harm than good and ruined Bluetooth connectivity in cars. If your Pixel 6 or Pixel 7 series phone won't connect to your vehicle, the latest update is likely to blame.
Over the last few days, as the update has slowly rollout out to more owners, we've seen an increase in Bluetooth complaints all over Reddit and the official Google forums.
User reports on Reddit, Twitter, and Google suggest that the January Bluetooth issue only affects Pixel phones with Google's new Tensor chip. So, those with a Pixel 6 or Pixel 7 series phone could have problems connecting to in-car infotainment systems.
Additionally, most complaints are on in-car devices, suggesting something with the Android Auto system is having issues. Some users mentioned that it'd connect, then fail, while others couldn't connect at all.
It's worth noting that only some users with select vehicles are experiencing problems. Plus, we're not sure if this extends to 3rd party stereo installations like something from Pioneer or Alpine. We've seen reports of Bluetooth issues with Pixel phones on vehicles from KIA, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, and more.
This isn't the first time Google's issued a software update that broke more than it fixed. We've seen updates ignore big problems, break fingerprint scanners, or not deliver the fixes many hoped for.
Interestingly enough, the January 2023 Pixel update changelog specifically mentions Bluetooth fixes. That said, this is likely a minor software issue that Google can patch and fix. If you haven't installed the latest update yet, you might want to hold off for now. We'll report back once we know more or if Google issues a statement.
via AndroidCentral