Pixel users report frustrating screen animation bugs after Android 17 QPR1 update

For a phone that’s at the forefront of Android developments, the Pixel is also a leader when it comes to bugs. The latest has arrived with September’s Android 17 QPR1 release. Pixel owners are registering an issue they’re having with incorrect animations on the home and recent apps screens ever since the update.

Over on Reddit’s Pixel sub, our original poster shares that when they try to return to the launcher from an app on their Pixel 10 Pro XL, instead of the downward animation they previously would get, the app goes to the recent apps screen and then slides away to the right. Additionally, they note that when they go to the recent apps screen from within an app, the app icon sometimes gets stuck on the screen while the recent apps screen opens behind it.

Another user with a Pixel 10a said that they are experiencing the same problem when going back to the home screen. Their comment seems to have turned up a key source regarding the bug because they noticed that it happens with apps launched from the app drawer, but not the home screen. Someone else echoed this and said that when it happened to their Pixel, it was frequently when they were using the keyboard in that app.

If this is happening to you, you could try what one person shared that helped them: switching to three-button navigation. To do so, go to Settings >  System (or Display / Display and touch on some models) > Navigation mode > 3-button navigation.

While there’s no official fix just yet, rest assured: Google is on the case. The official Reddit account for Pixel products reached out to some posters earlier today asking to chat with them about the issue, so hopefully Google’s gathering the feedback it needs.

So far, everyone impacted by this appears to be using a device from the Pixel 10 series. We’re not sure if this is necessarily exclusive to those models, though, and Android 17 QPR1 was released on September 15 for the Pixel 6 through the Pixel 11 series. Weirdly, though Pixel 11 users have still been waiting on the update. Given what’s happening with the Pixel 10, that could end up being a fortunate occurrence.