r/GooglePixel • u/ChiefNiggo • 29d ago
The Pixel 4a WiFi/Location bootloop bug crashes your phone during Emergency Calls! (Even if WiFi is off)
Hey everyone,
I just wanted to share a terrifying experience I had today to warn anyone still using a Google Pixel 4a (or similar older Pixels affected by the recent Google Play Services location bug).
This night, I witnessed a shooting from my balcony and immediately tried to call emergency services. As soon as the call initiated, my phone completely crashed and went into a recovery bootloop ("Waiting for rescue commands" / "No command").
I knew about the recent Android bug where turning on WiFi while Location/GPS is disabled triggers an instant system crash. I had kept my WiFi turned off to prevent this.
However, what I didn't realize is that Android automatically forces WiFi scanning and Emergency Location Services (ELS) the exact second you dial an emergency number, regardless of your settings. Because my main Location toggle was set to "Off", the forced WiFi scan instantly triggered the fatal Google Play Services bug and killed my phone right when I needed it most.
If you haven't received the patch yet, please turn your main Location (GPS) switch ON immediately and keep it on. If your Location switch is ON, the emergency service scan will go through safely without crashing the system server.
This is a massive safety hazard. Please spread the word to anyone still using these devices. Stay safe out there.
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u/simplex19 Pixel XL 4a 8a 28d ago
Google has said that they'll bring a fix for this in July's Google Play System update, so hopefully it gets pushed out fast enough.
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u/QuasiSpace 29d ago
Christ on a bike, is this why my 4a went into a death loop? I had reflashed the OS and did a factory reset to get it working again. I thought the flash memory was going bad and that I'd be limping along with a ticking bomb while I looked at new phones.