Owners of Google’s new Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro smartphones are reporting a surge in app crashes and freezes following the latest Android 15 update. Affected users have taken to Reddit and Google’s own support forums describing apps that randomly quit, refuse to launch, or cause system slowdowns — symptoms pointing to a software compatibility issue between Tensor G4 processors and the new OS build.
Reports Growing After October Update
The problem appears to have surfaced shortly after Google’s October firmware rollout, with both Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro devices exhibiting similar behavior across multiple regions. Users say apps like Gmail, YouTube, and Instagram are among the most unstable, though random third-party apps also appear affected.
Several Pixel owners have reported the issue occurring even after factory resets and clean installs, suggesting a systemic fault rather than corrupted app data. For some, the instability extends to UI lag and sudden restarts, particularly during multitasking or when using the camera app.
While Google has yet to issue an official statement, internal support documentation indicates the company is aware of the issue and investigating potential fixes through an upcoming Android 15.0.1 maintenance patch.
Possible Causes: Tensor G4 Optimization
At the center of the issue is Google’s new Tensor G4 chip, powering the entire Pixel 10 lineup. Early developer feedback suggests a mismatch between the Tensor’s background process scheduling and Android 15’s new adaptive resource management system, which dynamically allocates CPU and GPU cycles to foreground apps.
Under certain conditions, these management algorithms appear to prematurely suspend background threads — causing apps to crash when recalled to active memory. Similar symptoms were seen in early builds of Android 13 with Tensor G2 chips, though at a smaller scale.
This time, however, the issue seems more widespread, affecting both Google’s native apps and third-party titles distributed through the Play Store.
Temporary Fixes and Workarounds
Until Google releases a fix, users have reported partial success with temporary workarounds. Some have disabled Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Performance under Settings → Battery, reducing how aggressively Android limits background processes. Others have rolled back updates to specific apps, notably Google Play Services, which appears to play a role in some crashes.
Power users have also noted that switching the developer option “Don’t keep activities” off — ensuring Android keeps app states alive longer — improves short-term stability, though at the cost of slightly reduced battery life.
Those experiencing severe crashes have also turned to sideloading older APK versions of certain apps, but Google warns that doing so may expose users to security vulnerabilities or conflicts with newer libraries.
Google’s Response and Expected Fix
As of now, Google has not publicly acknowledged the bug, but community moderators on the Pixel support forums have hinted that the engineering team is preparing a stability patch expected later this month. Based on prior precedent, the company will likely roll out the fix as part of its November 2025 security update, which also includes camera and battery optimizations for the Pixel 10 series.
In past cycles, Google has been relatively fast to respond to post-launch stability issues, typically addressing widespread bugs within one to two monthly updates.
For developers, the issue also highlights the growing complexity of Android’s hardware-software integration as Google pushes its Tensor architecture toward more aggressive AI processing. While the G4’s neural capabilities are central to the Pixel’s live translation, photo editing, and on-device assistant features, they may also be contributing to higher system overhead during multitasking.
Software hiccups have become something of a recurring theme for early Pixel adopters. The Pixel 8 suffered from Bluetooth disconnects and camera overheating, while the Pixel 7 had network stability problems during its first months on sale.
Despite those challenges, Google typically resolves most launch issues within a few months, and long-term user satisfaction remains high once the devices stabilize. Still, for users running mission-critical apps or depending on the Pixel 10 for work, the current instability is frustrating — especially for a flagship phone positioned as Google’s most refined hardware effort yet.
Until the fix arrives, users are advised to keep their apps updated through the Play Store and avoid installing unverified beta builds. Google’s upcoming patch is expected to deliver broader Tensor G4 performance tuning, targeting both app crashes and occasional battery drain reports tied to background AI tasks.
For now, Pixel 10 users can only wait — and hope the November update restores the stability and reliability expected from Google’s premium smartphones.
