Android 17 is causing scrolling issues on some Pixel phones

Android 17 recently started making its way to Pixel phones, and as per usual, wider distribution is revealing new bugs. For example: a number of Pixel say that since installing the latest update, they’ve been experiencing touch screen issues, including erratic scrolling.

A couple of Reddit threads are full of users who say their Pixels’ touch screens are acting up since installing Android 17. It seems like issues can present in a couple of different ways, and multiple Pixel generations are affected.

The touch issues can apparently either result in screens going temporarily unresponsive to touch input, or, stranger, interpreting vertical swipes as the opposite direction of a user’s input: you swipe up, the UI responds as if you’d swiped down.

Comments say that Pixel 10, 9, 8, and 7 phones are affected, though that doesn’t necessarily mean Pixel 6 phones are in the clear (Pixel 5 and older won’t receive Android 17). Judging by the conversations going on in the linked threads, these problems can happen anywhere in the system UI, or in any app.

Google is aware of the issue. The official PixelCommunity Reddit account replied to one of the posts, suggesting affected users clear the Pixel Launcher app’s cache. At least one user says they tried that, but it didn’t resolve the issue for them. Another user says disabling their Pixel 8 Pro’s Smooth Display feature seemed to resolve the issue, but others haven’t had the same success.

This unusual touchscreen behavior is one of a few issues users have been having since updating. Yesterday, we saw reports that due to a work profile-related bug, some Pixel users have been losing access to home screen widgets. Google says it’s actively working on that issue.

Have you upgraded to stable Android 17 on your Pixel yet? Have you experienced any bugs? Share your experience in the comments.