Pixel 10 users report always-on display ‘flicker’ issue

December’s Pixel update landed earlier this week with bug fixes in tow for Pixel 6 phones and newer. The changelog is almost entirely fixes: fixes for audio crashes, fixes for battery reporting errors, fixes for emergency calling — on and on. According to reports on social media, though, it’s also causing a new bug that’s driving some users up the wall.

A post by user subferno on the Pixel subreddit says that, since installing the December update, their Pixel 10 Pro’s always-on display has exhibited a “hard flicker,” apparently toggling on and off for a split second whenever it refreshes. Other users are having similar problems, too.

In subferno’s post, they say that the clock ticking over or a notification coming in causes their always-on display to flicker. A handful of commenters say they’re having a similar experience, plus adjacent problems like the screen going black for a split second when their phone is unlocked, or issues with screensaver functionality.

We haven’t experienced this issue ourselves here at Android Authority, so it’s difficult to know how pervasive it is. We did notice a similar issue in an Android 16 QPR1 beta build back in June, but it’s not clear whether the two occurrences are related.

We’ve reached out to Google for more info on this issue.

If you’re using a Pixel 10 phone with the December update, have you noticed any irregularities in always-on display functionality? Tell us about your experience in the comments.