What to do if your Google Pixel 2 suddenly has the screen flickering issue (easy steps)

A screen flickering issue may affect any smartphone regardless of its specifications, brand or model. We have readers who’ve already contacted us regarding this problem and some of them were owners of the Google Pixel 2. That’s the reason why we need to address this issue once again even if we’ve already published several articles in the past. This time though, the subject of the troubleshooting will be the Pixel 2.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Pixel that has a flickering screen. We will look into every possibility and rule them out one by one until we can determine what the problem is and how to deal with it. So, if you’re one of the owners of this device or any Android smartphone with similar problem, continue reading as this article may be able to help you one way or another.

Before anything else, if you have other issues with your device, try to browse through our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed several issues with this device. Odds are that we’ve already published a post that tackles similar problems. Try finding issues that have similar symptoms with what you currently have and feel free to use the solutions we’ve suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you still need our help, then fill up our questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

How to troubleshoot Pixel 2 with screen flickering issue

Screen flickering issues are a complicated problem. The best thing you can do is rule out the possibility that it’s just an issue caused by applications or a problem with the firmware that results in the flickering of the screen. After ruling this out and the issue still continues, then it could be a problem with the hardware and for that, you need a technician to check it up for you. With all that being said, here’s what you should do about this problem:

First solution: Run your phone in safe mode

This is to know if the is caused by third-party apps. In this mode, all apps you downloaded from the Play Store will be temporarily disabled. So, if the flickering stops while your Pixel 2 is in this mode, it means that there’s a third-party app that causes the problem. Find that app and uninstall it to fix this issue.

Here’s how you run your Pixel 2 in safe mode:

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

Continue using your phone while it’s in safe mode to know if the problem is caused by third-party apps. If the problem is seems fixed while it’s in this mode, then it’s confirmed that it’s due to third-party apps. Find those apps that uninstall them.

From a Home screen, tap the Arrow icon to display all apps.
Navigate: Settings > Apps & notifications .
Tap See all ‘xx’ apps.
Tap an app that you think causes the problem.
Tap Uninstall.
Tap OK to confirm.

However, if the flickering continues even in safe mode, the next thing you should do is troubleshoot the firmware.

Second solution: Wipe cache partition

The system cache is composed of small files created by the system that help make your phone run smoothly. While they’re temporary files, they play an important role in the overall performance of your device. If some of them got corrupted or became obsolete, performance issues and other problems may occur. It’s better to delete the system cache so that those files will be replaced with new ones. Here’s how you do that:

Turn off your Google Pixel 2.
Once off, press the power and volume down button together for some time.
This will turn the device on and you need to hold both the buttons till the Google Pixel 2 logo disappears.
After this, simply wait for the time till your device boots into the recovery mode.
Next, you can choose the language of your choice.
Next is to tap on the “Wipe Data and Cache” option.
After this, simply tap on the “Wipe Cache” option.
You will be asked to confirm the same, click yes to proceed.
After this, you need to wait till your Google Pixel 2 clear the entire cache partition.
After this, tap on the reboot. This will restart your device.
Once restarted, you are done.

If the screen flickering continues after wiping the cache partition, then your last resort will be to reset your device.

Third solution: Backup your files and reset your Pixel 2

This is the final step in your troubleshooting and it determines whether you need to bring the phone to the shop or not. If the flickering is due to a firmware issue, then a reset will be able to fix it but if it’s a hardware issue, then there’s only so much you can do about it. Before the reset, make sure to backup your important files and data as they will be deleted and you may not be able to retrieve them after.

Ensure the device is powered off.
Press and hold the Power+Volume Down buttons until bootloader mode (image of an Android with Start above it) appears, then release.
Select Recovery mode.
Use the Volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the Power button to select.
The device will flash the Google start screen momentarily and then restarts in Recovery mode.
If presented with an image of a broken Android with “No Command” shown on the screen, press and hold the Power button. Press the Volume Up button once then release the Power button.
From the Android Recovery screen, select Wipe data/factory reset.
Select Yes and then allow several minutes for the factory data reset process to complete.
Select Reboot system now.
Allow several minutes for the factory data reset and reboot processes to complete.

I hope that this troubleshooting guide have helped you. If you have other issues with your phone that you want to share with us, feel free to contact us anytime or leave a comment below.

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