What’s Happening
Google rolled out the January 2026 OTA for Pixel devices to address battery‑drain, AOD flicker, and wallpaper reboot bugs. Shortly after release, users began reporting severe Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth connectivity failures, along with occasional camera and cellular problems.
Affected Devices
The issue has been observed on the Pixel 8, Pixel 9, and Pixel 10 families. Early testing on a Pixel 10 Pro in India and a Pixel 8 Pro in the UAE showed no symptoms, indicating a non‑universal rollout.
Reported Symptoms
- Bluetooth toggle won’t turn on, disabling wearables and peripherals.
- Wi‑Fi settings page shows a blank screen and crashes.
- Wi‑Fi toggle automatically disabled after reboot.
- Cellular data drops, even after toggling airplane mode.
- Camera app runs in background, preventing flashlight activation.
Temporary Workarounds
- Boot into Safe Mode – does not consistently restore connectivity.
- Reset Wi‑Fi network settings – often ineffective.
- Disable Google Play Services – reported to restore Bluetooth on some units.
- Manually sideload the OTA image via ADB – many users confirm the issue disappears.
Recommended Actions for Smart Professionals
1. Do not install the OTA via the standard over‑the‑air method until Google releases an official fix.
2. If you have already updated, back up critical data and consider the ADB sideload method using the official OTA images from Google’s support hub.
3. For devices that must remain operational, keep them on the previous stable build and monitor Google’s release notes for a corrective patch.
4. Document any recurring issues in your IT ticketing system to provide aggregated feedback to Google.