The latest update of Google Play is locking out some users

Most recently, September’s Pixel Drop added an updated Pixel VIP widget, expanded fraud protection via Gboard to other chat apps, and fixed several bugs. However, some have found that things are not working as expected, with reports of users unable to access their phones appearing online.

According to a Pixel 10 Pro XL owner Reddit The phone that installed the latest update refused to recognize the unlock pattern they installed. They tried booting the phone in safe mode several times, cleaning the screen, restarting, even connecting a mouse with an adapter, but to no avail.

The only thing that works is a factory reset, worst case scenario because it will erase all data from the device. For its part, Pixel 10 Pro XL users say they’ve now switched to PIN-based unlocking. However, another complaint also raises concerns about this authentication method.

Also, the Pixel 8a appears to be in the owner’s hands similar experience After the September 2026 update, their phone will automatically accept a PIN after only one digit is entered. They said that this caused the device to display an incorrect PIN error message. However, they succeeded after turning on the “Too Many Actions” message and waiting for the timer to expire.

Unfortunately, some are other affected Pixel owners They were out of luck as they had to wipe all device data to get back on their phones. Google is actively reaching out to affected users in these Reddit threads, so we know the company is aware of the issue.

After the September 2026 update, I haven’t seen these issues on my Pixel 6a, and the phone recognizes the PIN as it should. This suggests that the problem may not be as widespread as other bugs we’ve seen recently.

Google has yet to officially comment on these reports. We’ve reached out to the company for comment and will provide an update when we hear back.