Google Pixel 6 bug causes it to auto reject calls — what you need to know

Google Pixel 6 camera module
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Update: A new bug is affecting Google Messages, causing it to drain the battery and overheat affected phones - here's what you can do about it


There’s been no shortage of bugs since the Pixel 6 launched, and they do keep coming. The latest is a rather annoying issue that automatically rejects calls without even telling you about them. 

Users have taken to Reddit to complain about the latest bug, which has been affecting both the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro. The bug doesn’t just affect unknown numbers either, with users reporting that calls from saved contacts are being rejected without any ringing or notification.

It's a particularly infuriating bug because it stops your phone being, well, a phone. Whether you’re regularly on the receiving end of calls for work, or you’re expecting something important, you need the option to screen calls yourself and pick up when necessary. 

Instead, calls are going straight to voicemail without any sort of missed call notification. However, the call log does keep a history of missed calls, marking them as declined.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to be a new phenomenon either, with Android Central pointing out a Reddit post from December detailing the same issue. The problem seems to be a little more prevalent now, but at the time of writing, Google has yet to acknowledge the issue.

Users have reported the rejected calls occur after deactivating settings that may affect phone calls, including Spam Call filters, Do Not Disturb and Wi-Fi Calling. One PhoneArena commenter claimed to have previously experienced the issue due to Verizon’s spam filtering, but this time the issue seems to be happening across multiple carriers.

The nature of this bug means it's difficult to replicate ourselves. I didn’t spot any mystery declined calls in my Pixel 6 Pro’s call log, and neither did Tom’s Guide Editor in Chief Marc McLaren on his Pixel 6.

This is yet another bug Google is going to have to fix. Pixel 6 owners know this pain full well, with several problems affecting the phone in the months since launch. Users have reported dropped connections, broken Wi-Fi, camera issues, flickering screens, and more.

Google is able to fix most of those issues pretty quickly, but every time something gets fixed another issue rears its ugly head. While I haven’t personally experienced any serious issues with my phone, plenty of people have. And Google is going to have to do a much better job at stopping this sort of thing from happening.

Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.