Pixel 2, 2 XL Random Reboots Could Be Related To LTE

Just when you thought the string of complaints against the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were over, here comes yet another one. Actually, it's an old one that may have just received an important clue towards its solution. Second gen Pixel owners have been reporting random reboots of their phones and, given their randomness, no answer was yet given, even by Google. Naturally, some users did their own sleuthing and at least one may have finally stumbled upon a clue: the Pixel 2's LTE functionality.

Random reboots have been going on for a while, but they seemed to be even more erratic and unpredictable than the Pixel 2 XL's and Pixel 2's bigger problems. As such, it hasn't exactly gained much attention just yet. Random bugs like these are harder to pin down and harder to investigate, but Nader Babbili from the Google Pixel product forums thinks he may have stumbled on an important clue.

His tests lead him to believe that LTE might be the culprit, as the reboots magically vanish when limiting the phone to 3G networks. However, it might even be a more niche case than that. He says that their area has a Wilson Cell Amplifier and when he was given permission to turn it off for testing, the problem went away. In other words, he could use LTE without fear of reboots as long as the amplifier was turned off.

Neither workaround is ideal, of course. A powerful phone limited to a last-gen network isn't going to be fun. And turning off an amplifier just for the sake of a few Pixel 2s is hardly going to be accepted widely. Android Police theorizes that the problem might be related to the LTE modem's driver software which causes a kernel panic, which, in turn, causes a reboot. There is no solid evidence for that yet, but hopefully, Google now has more information to trace the bug.

VIA: Android Police