Last week, several reports surfaced claiming that the Google Pixel 10 was emitting "extremely loud" popping sounds. We discovered that the issue apparently goes back years, as far back as the Pixel 6.
The sound appears to happen randomly when you open or close apps.
Between comments and emails, we received similar complaints from Tom's Guide readers.
"For a while I thought it was rocks hitting my windshield on the freeway," reader Adam Roy commented.
Other readers reported that similar issues plagued the Pixel 8 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro. Confirming reports we read elsewhere, MoritifedGoose said that it mostly happened when they opened games on their Pixel 9, even with the volume off.
For a while I thought it was rocks hitting my windshield on the freeway.
Adam Roy
The oldest device reported to us was the Pixel 7 Pro, on which the popping sound appeared only while they were using TikTok.
"I thought either there was something wrong with a software update, hardware, or Voice Assistant listening in, but never could get it to stop," reader KrankyKorok said.
One reader emailed to report the issue and said they resolved it by lowering the volume.
"I've got the 9 Pro XL myself, and I have noticed this problem as well. It's definitely not limited to the newer models," reader Reese said in an email.
Silent Google
Google has remained frustratingly silent. While researching the issue, we did reach out to Google about the popping issue, but we have yet to hear from the company.
Digging through official support forums and subreddits, I couldn't find any instances of Google support or mods responding with solutions or suggestions.
One "Silver product expert" on the Google support forums suggested the sound was due to "the floating element of the camera stabilisation system," which can produce such sounds, and asserted it was "normal for Pixel devices."
Other suggestions
I've seen suggestions that it's something to do with the apps themselves, which might be a developer issue. However, because it's widespread across multiple phone models, it suggests that it's something more than just random apps.
Tom's Guide reader Matteo Crone had this suggestion, "This can happen when voltage through the speakers change instantly it's most likely a power regulator or smart MOSFET issue if you will this could be due to the phone stoping supply of power to the speakers briefly to save battery."
If that is the case, it means it's a hardware and software issue with Pixel phones that Google needs to fix.
Whether Google knows this is an issue or is implementing a fix remains unknown, as the company remains silent.
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