Google Pixelbook has had Bluetooth problems since day one, and they still aren’t fixed

At last year’s October hardware event, Google unveiled its high-end Chromebook called the Pixelbook. With its $1,000 price tag, consumers would get the best specced Chrome OS machine on the market packed inside premium hardware.

But if buyers, like myself, spend that much cash on a laptop, it shouldn’t be plagued with unmanageable Bluetooth problems — especially since pretty much none of these issues have been resolved even six months after its release.

First, let me list out the different Bluetooth problems I’ve personally been having with my Pixelbook:

• Connecting/reconnecting Bluetooth accessories can take multiple attempts
• Bluetooth sporadically disconnects paired accessories
• Bluetooth just turns itself off
• Bluetooth radio gets completely disabled and can’t be turned back without a full reboot

Looking at that list, you can probably tell that living with these basic problems can make using the Pixelbook as a primary laptop a living nightmare. Not only can I not reliably use Chrome OS’s Smart Lock, but I can’t keep a Bluetooth mouse or headphones connected for extended use.

As I’ve been experiencing these issues since I picked up the Pixelbook roughly a month after its launch, I took my complaints to the Made by Google Twitter account.

At the beginning of this whole ordeal (in November), Google’s team was quick to respond and offered support. Of course, the Twitter account quickly asked to move the conversation to a direct message instead of just tweeting back and forth.

Here, the unknown person(s) I was messaging asked me to explain what exactly was happening and send them a log file. From there, they said they would message me back in several days after the engineering team looked into the problem.

Months passed and I didn’t receive a word from Google but I just dealt with it, turning Bluetooth back on whenever I need to use it. But then my Pixelbook started disabling the Bluetooth radio and nothing would fix it without restarting the machine. So, again, I shared the problem with Twitter.

This time, they responded to my tweet and informed me that the team was aware of the problem and was working toward a fix. In the meantime it instructed me to continue sending feedback reports whenever an issue popped up. But after that, they stopped responding when I tweeted at the account or when I DM’d them.

Hey Justin, thanks for reaching out. The team is aware of the issue and working toward a fix. If you would, the next time Bluetooth stops please immediately file a feedback report by pressing Alt + Shift + i and include the keywords: Pixelbook Bluetooth

— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) April 5, 2018

That was almost two months ago now, and there are still no fixes in sight. I’ll take them at their word that they’re on their way, but it’s still disconcerting that problems like these would still be plaguing so many people this long after launch.

Unsurprisingly, I am not the only one complaining online about these and related issues. Users on both Reddit and Google’s product forums have been complaining about their own Chromebooks having sporadic Bluetooth problems. Better yet, the “best” answers ask the user to turn the Pixelbook and the Bluetooth accessory off and then back on again, and if the issue persists, to send an issue report (just like the Twitter account told me to).

Fast forward to today, where I have once again vented my frustrations on Twitter and the Made by Google account is still unresponsive and unhelpful. I love my Pixelbook, and it has replaced my MacBook for when I’m out of my house, but this is just a continuing problem that should’ve been fixed months ago.

Have you had any Bluetooth or related problems on your Pixelbook? Let us know about them in the comment section below.

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