Android 10 bug freezes the entire UI on select Google Pixel and other smartphones

When an app freezes, it locks the entire UI, disabling functions like pressing the home button to minimize the app or even swiping down the notification tray if you want to escape using that method.

When an app freezes, it locks the entire UI, disabling functions like pressing the home button to minimize the app or even swiping down the notification tray if you want to escape using that method. (REUTERS)

Some Android 10 smartphone users are reportedly facing UI freeze issues on their smartphones made by different OEMs. These are even being faced by those using Google's own Pixel smartphones as well. As spotted by Android Police, when an app freezes, it locks the entire UI, disabling functions like pressing the home button to minimize the app or even swiping down the notification tray if you want to escape using that method. However, Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 smartphones that have a physical fingerprint sensor can still show the notification panel when swiped on it from top to bottom.

While majority of the cases are related to Google Pixels and the stock home screen launcher, some OnePlus and Xiaomi users are facing it too. Some of them were using Nova Launcher and Action Launcher as well. The apps that are freezing and are locking the UI include Amazon, Twitter, YouTube, YouTube Music and Play Store.

Another thing that really bothers me on the Pixel 4 XL - when an app freezes up, it oftentimes locks up the whole UI. Notifications, home gesture - everything becomes unresponsive.

Sometimes the UI unfreezes when the app does, sometimes the app remains frozen.

Anyone else?

— Artem Russakovskii (@ArtemR) April 17, 2020

There are a few cases wherein users with handsets running Android 11 developer preview are facing the same issue. Google is yet to give a statement on this.

Meanwhile, Google has released its Android 11 Developer Preview 2.1 update with multiple fixes. It fixes "an issue where a crash would occur when long pressing to select an element within the recent apps overview," according to the changelog. The update also fixes "an issue where the status bar could crash in the background if its components weren't all initialized yet," it added.

The Preview is available on select handsets including Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, and Pixel 4 XL.