In using the Pixel 7 since the October launch, one occasional issue some people have encountered is the Google device freezing and locking up when watching fullscreen YouTube.
The issue occurs when YouTube or YouTube TV is in fullscreen mode and you try to exit the app by swiping up on the vertical navigation bar. This includes both the gesture to go back to the homescreen and the Recents menu.
We haven’t encountered this issue with other streaming apps, but can’t rule it out. This is presumably a system/Android issue rather than anything on the app level. The problem does not occur when watching YouTube in the regular player.
The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will freeze, with the screen/YouTube going static and touchscreen taps/swipes no longer accepted. That said, audio might continue to play. For some, hardware buttons become entirely unresponsive, though others are able to lock their device after a moment.
In the most extreme case, the phone will stay frozen for minutes before rebooting. You can speed that up by holding down on the power button until a restart occurs.
In terms of frequency, this does not happen every time you are watching fullscreen YouTube, or even semi-regularly. There’s no obvious pattern to it, but it’s remarkably annoying. Two people on our team have encountered this issue personally, while two others haven’t.
If this occurs, you should send feedback to Google in hopes they can pin down the issue.
More on Pixel 7:
- Google Store brings back $499 Pixel 7 and $749 Pixel 7 Pro deals
- Pixel 7 gets seven fixes and additions with January 2023 update
- Review: Pela cases for Google Pixel 7 offer dozens of designs and a comfortable feel
- Growing number of Pixel 7 owners seeing camera glass shatter without clear cause
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