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Google Pixel owners are concerned by unsettling popping noises coming from their phones Google Pixel 10 Pro XL next to a smiling plush

By Karandeep Singh Oberoi Published Feb 5, 2026, 6:19 PM EST Karandeep Singh Oberoi is a Durham College Journalism and Mass Media graduate who joined the Android Police team in April 2024, after serving as a full-time News Writer at Canadian publication MobileSyrup. Prior to joining Android Police, Oberoi worked on feature stories, reviews, evergreen articles, and focused on 'how-to' resources. Additionally, he informed readers about the latest deals and discounts with quick hit pieces and buyer's guides for all occasions. Oberoi lives in Toronto, Canada. When not working on a new story, he likes to hit the gym, play soccer (although he keeps calling it football for some reason🤔) and try out new restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area. Sign in to your Android Police account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Attention, Google Pixel owners. Have you heard your smartphone randomly 'popping?' Yes, I mean an actual loud pop? If yes, you're not entirely alone.

The sound, which emerges from Pixel phones' speakers can be alarmingly loud, and is often triggered when opening or closing apps.

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Reports are surfacing across Reddit (via Android Authority), with the main discussion thread from user Glad_Ad_523 being less than 24 hours old (as of writing).

"I'm randomly getting very loud audio pops sometimes when apps are opened or closed, like the speakers are being overloaded for a split second when applications are switched out. Is there a fix for this? Its quite concerning," wrote the user.

Several users corroborated the pop's presence, and on more than one Pixel model. User reports range from the latest Pixel 10 series and the Pixel 9 series, to the Pixel 8 and even the Pixel 7.

User TheBlasianSensation wrote that they even had their Pixel 10 Pro's speakers replaced under warranty, thinking it was a hardware issue, but the popping sound still persists. Others wrote that they never had this issue with their older Pixels, but their new Pixel 10 does make the sound occasionally.

Hardware flaw or software glitch?

It's unclear

There are older Reddit threads that talk about the same issue, like this one from a month ago, and this one from five months ago.

According to multiple reports, the pop mainly occurs when an app opens, with game apps being the most common culprit. Others report that the pop often happens when you're already listening to something in the background on your phone, and you trigger another sound by opening an app. None of these triggers are 100 percent consistent.

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Interestingly, some have also reported hearing the pop with the volume turned all the way down, suggesting that the issue could stem from either a hardware or software-related bug, or both.

Google is yet to acknowledge the issue, though considering the amount of coverage the popping bug is getting, the tech giant will be forced to issue a statement or a patch in the near future.