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What to do if Google Pixel 2 text messaging app keeps freezing [troubleshooting guide]

Hello Android fans! Welcome to today’s troubleshooting article for the Galaxy Pixel 2 (#GooglePixel2)! The main issue we address in this post is on how to fix a Pixel 2 with a freezing text messenger app. If you experience this issue or a similar one, be sure to refer to our solutions below.

Problem #1: What to do if Google Pixel 2 text messaging app keeps freezing

Hi there. I just switched from iphone to the Google Pixel 2 this past weekend. I did the transfer of data from the iphone to my new phone at the store. I’ve noticed with texting to iphone users and overall the messaging app is very glitchy and many of my texts never send or the messenger app freezes. This is very frustrating as things as simple as texting should be very quick and free from issues. Anyways, just wondering if you had any solutions. I restarted my phone a few times, i shut off imessage on my old iphone and i cleared the cache of the messaging app. None of these things fixed the issue. Hopefully you have another solution!  Thanks.

Solution: A freezing app can be a result of many things. It can be a product of a bug in itself or in the operating system, or a sign that the hardware is slowing down from time to time due to issues that affects performance. At other times, it can also be due to a bad third party app. If you have a brand new Pixel 2, you can possibly rule out performance issue for now given the fact that new devices rarely work poorly. Unless you’ve already dropped the phone and damaged it physically, we don’t think your new Pixel 2 has hardware damage. So, that leaves you with either a third party app interference or operating system bug. To see which of these two is causing the problem, below are the things that you should try.

Boot to safe mode and observe

Unlike iPhones, some Android devices allow a user to check if one of the installed third party apps is causing trouble by booting to safe mode. In this mode, no third party app is allowed to run so if the problem won’t occur, you know it’s being caused by a bad app.

To boot your Pixel 2 to safe mode:

  1. With the device powered on, press and hold the Power button (located on the right-edge) until the Power off prompt appears then release.
  2. Touch and hold Power off until the “Reboot to safe mode” prompt appears then release.
  3. Tap OK to confirm. Note: The restart process may take up to 45 seconds to complete.
  4. Upon restart, “Safe mode” appears in the lower-left of the unlock/home screen.

Now that the phone has been set to safe mode, you want to replicate the issue by using your phone and checking how the messenger app works. If it doesn’t freeze or lag at all and if everything works as they should (you can’t open third party apps in this state), you can bet one of your third party apps is to blame. By third party apps we mean apps that you added after you initially set the phone up. These includes even apps from Google that you installed after unboxing the device. On the one hand, pre-installed apps cover those apps that came with the operating system.

To identify which of your apps is causing the trouble, you should boot the phone back to safe mode and follow these steps:

  1. Boot to safe mode.
  2. Check for the problem.
  3. Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
  4. After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
  5. If your Pixel 2 XL is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4 until you’ve figured out the app.

If the problem remains even when your device is on safe mode, that means there’s no third party app issue at all. Proceed to the next solutions below to fix it.

Clear messaging app data

A direct way to remove bugs that might lie on the text messaging app itself would be to return it to its factory state. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. From a Home screen, tap the Arrow icon Up arrow icon to display all apps.
  2. Open Settings app.
  3. Go to Apps & notifications.
  4. Go to App info.
  5. Tap Up arrow icon See all ‘xx’ apps.
  6. Tap the appropriate app.
  7. Tap Storage.
  8. Tap Clear Data.

NOTE: Clearing an app’s data will delete all your messages. If you have important text message to save, make sure to back them up before doing the steps above.

Keep OS and apps updated

Whether you have issues or not, it’s always a good idea to keep the software and apps up-to-date. By default, your Pixel 2 should download updates for Android and apps on its know and may or may not inform you when it installs them. If you changed this default setting, you can manually check for updates. As long as Google Play Services app is up-to-date, you can easily check for the latest version by simply going under System Settings and tap the “Check for update” button.

Factory reset

This should be the ultimate solution that you need to try should nothing change after observing in safe mode and clearing your messaging app’s data. This one should cover the possibility of a software or operating system bug that may have developed over time.

Factory reset wipes all user data so be sure to back your photos, videos, etc. before doing it.

Follow the steps below to factory reset your Pixel 2:

  1. Create a backup of your files.
  2. If your device is on, turn it off. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained.
  3. Press and hold the Volume down button. While holding Volume down, press and hold the
  4. Power button until the phone turns on. You’ll see the word “Start” with an arrow around it.
  5. Press the Volume down button until you highlight “Recovery mode.”
  6. Press the Power button to start recovery mode. You’ll see an image of an Android robot with an exclamation mark (you may also see “No command”).
  7. Press and hold the Power button. While holding Power, press the Volume up button once. Then release the Power button.
  8. If “Wipe data/factory reset” isn’t highlighted, press the Volume down button until it is. Then press the Power button to select it.
  9. Press the Volume down button until you highlight “Yes” (or “Yes – delete all user data”). Then press the Power button to select it.
  10. After the reset is complete, press the Power button to select “Reboot system now.”

Try another text messenger

As a workaround, you can also try to see if using another text messenger app will help. There are a lot of free text messengers in Google Play Store so take a pick and see if there’s any difference in performance.

Problem #2: Google Pixel 2 won’t connect to one wifi network only

I have a Google Pixel 2. I was fine connecting to the WIFI at work until my phone updated a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t been able to connect to that WIFI since. My WIFI at home works just fine.  My friend is in the same room as me has a Note 8 and she’s able to connect to the work WIFI with no problem. I’ve tried all of the mentions steps and still can’t get internet access. I can connect to the WIFI, but no internet access.  Any ideas? Thanks!

Solution: The system update may have created an unknown network or wifi bug in the system. To fix it, these are some of the common solutions that you can try:

Force reboot your Pixel 2

A lot of minor bugs are fixed by simply restarting a device. If you haven’t tried it yet, follow the steps below on what you need to do:

  1. Press and hold the Power button (on the right edge).
  2. Tap Power off.

Alternatively, you can press and hold the Power button for approximately 10 seconds or until the device power cycles.

Forget wifi network

The next good thing that you can do is to delete the wifi network from the system and reconnect. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. From a Home screen, tap the Arrow icon Up arrow icon to display all apps.
  2. Go to Settings app icon.
  3. Tap Network & Internet.
  4. Tap Wi-Fi icon.
  5. Touch and hold the Wi-Fi network.
  6. If not available, ensure Wi-Fi is turned on On icon (in the upper right).
  7. Tap Forget network.

Clear network settings

Should the issue remain at this point, you must consider deleting all user added network configuration by clearing your Pixel’s network settings. These are the steps to do that:

  1. From a Home screen, tap the Arrow icon Up arrow icon to display all apps.
  2. Go to Settings app icon.
  3. Tap System About icon.
  4. TapReset options Reset icon.
  5. Choose from the following: Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth, Reset app preferences, Erase all data (factory reset).
  6. Tap RESET SETTINGS. If prompted, enter the PIN, password or pattern.
  7. Tap RESET SETTINGS to confirm.

Factory reset

If the problem is still there after doing the suggestions above, do a factory reset to return all software information to their defaults. Be sure to back your data up before you reset. Follow the steps above on how to factory reset your Pixel 2.

Talk to wifi administrator

If you are still unable to connect to the internet after doing all the necessary device troubleshooting, that means that the issue lies on the wifi network itself. Talk to the wifi administrator so they can ensure that your device is not blocked by mistake.


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