Google fixes Pixel 2 WiFi connectivity issue triggered by February update

For months now, Google’s Pixel 2 series of smartphones has been plagued with a WiFi issue that causes units to randomly, frequently, and repeatedly lose internet connectivity despite showing connected to WiFi.

Well, the good news is, finally after a long wait of almost half a year, Google has fixed the problem.

The problem

To give you a quick background, back in February, proliferation of WiFi connectivity-related reports from Pixel 2 users (after receiving the security update for the month) across different help forums made us bring the matter to light.

Basically, users chimed that the internet connection loss isn’t even conveyed to them, as the phone remains connected to the router showing complete WiFi signal. For a quick refresher, here’s how some of the complainants explained the erratic behaviour:

I have the same symptoms on a Pixel 2 running 5th Feb 2018 patch level, build OPM1.171019.019: the status bar indicates wifi is connected and has good signal strength, but actual Internet access is intermittent. I can’t ping the AP from the phone during the periods where it’s not working. This is a fault with the Pixel 2 as other devices on the same AP work fine.

The WiFi problem is driving me nuts. After a period of time I have to toggle it off and back on again to access the internet without waiting on timeouts.

The wifi disconnects. Still shows connected but unable to access things on the internet.

Fix en route

What’s good is that Google has fixed whatever was causing the WiFi-related problem. But, the fix will take time to be released publicly, as the company has currently only confirmed “future Android release” time frame for the roll out (we hope they are referring to the August security update).

Here’s what a google employee said recently while confirming the news on the company’s official issue tracking website:

The issue has been fixed and it will become be available in a future Android release.

The WiFi connectivity problem on Pixel 2 phones has been bothering users for long. We hope the fix resolves the issue once and for all. Rest assured, we’ll update as and when it gets live. So stay in touch.

PiunikaWeb is a unique initiative that mainly focuses on investigative journalism. This means we do a lot of hard work to come up with news stories that are either ‘exclusive,’ ‘breaking,’ or ‘curated’ in nature. Perhaps that’s the reason our work has been picked by the likes of Forbes, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and more. Do take a tour of our website to get a feel of our work. And if you like what we do, stay connected with us on Twitter (@PiunikaWeb) and other social media channels to receive timely updates on stories we publish.