One of the main functions of a smartphone is the ability to make and receive calls and text messages. It makes sense for people to complain when this basic feature stops working. That's what happened with the Pixel 7, Pixel 8, and Pixel Fold: Customers reported that they missed calls and text messages because the phone didn't ring and there were no text messages.
These issues can be very difficult to deal with (your phone should be a phone in the first place.) But luckily, there are now fixes available. That's thanks to the second Pixel OTA update in April, which Google claims should fix the pesky cellular bug. The OTA update is available now and is slowly rolling out to Pixel users who own a Pixel 7, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, or Pixel Fold.
The issue didn't bother everyone running Pixel devices, but there were certainly enough complaints to get Google's attention. But even if your Pixel is working fine, there's a reason to update as soon as it arrives on your device: The OTA update is part of the Pixel's Android 14 QPR2 build, which also brings new security patches to all Pixel devices starting with the Pixel 7 . While you should get into the habit of downloading security updates as soon as they become available, customers facing cellular issues have some extra incentives in this case.
Unfortunately, the update doesn't appear to be available for manual installation yet. When using the "Check for updates" option in the Pixel 8 settings, I can't get it to work. It doesn't hurt to check back regularly, but this may be an update you have to wait for Google to push out to you. This is unfortunate as I'm sure many people would rather download the update sooner rather than later, but at least the fix will be visible.
Of course, whether this completely solves the problem remains to be seen. Both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro have a lot going for them: I praised Google's approach to its latest lineup in my Pixel 8 Pro review. Hopefully this issue is just a small roadblock to the continued success of the Pixel smartphone line.
If you're in need of a new Pixel phone, check out these great options:
Pixel Fold: $1,274 (normally $1,799)
Pixel 8 Pro: $799 (normally $999)
Pixel 8: $549 (normally $699)
