The phones of the Pixel 7 series from Google appear to be experiencing issues with YouTube playback in fullscreen. According to multiple user reports of freezing and crashes when exiting full-screen playback either on YouTube or its TV version, the bug appears only in the built-in playback function – not during normal video watching.
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According to 9to5Google, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro experience issues when exiting full-screen video mode on YouTube. Instead of swiping up on the navigation bar or entering the Recents menu as expected, these gestures immediately freeze the phone screens with a static image (frozen video), but the audio may continue playing. Meanwhile, taps and swipes cannot be detected by the devices at this time.
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For some unlucky Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro users, the hardware buttons are unresponsive. With no other solution, they have to wait patiently for their phone to work normally again—it usually takes several minutes of rebooting before it turns back on. But don't despair! Others have found that a quick, long press on the power button can restart their device almost instantly.
YouTube playback in full screen causes problems for many Pixel 7 users
At the time of publishing their report, two staff members at 9to5Google had encountered this YouTube playback issue on their Pixel 7 phones. Many other users have complained about the same issue on Reddit. The issue doesn't occur every time they watch YouTube or YouTube TV in full-screen mode. There may not be a consistent pattern for this to happen. But the issue recurs every few days, which can be annoying for anyone.
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It appears that this may be an Android-level bug and not an app-side issue, according to the report. Unfortunately, it seems that Google has not yet been notified of this issue. Or even if it is aware, the company may not have enough reports and data to come up with a fix. All Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro users who are experiencing this YouTube playback issue are encouraged to file bug reports with Google. We hope an official fix comes soon. Make sure to keep your phone and YouTube apps up to date.
Information source: androidheadlines.com
