A genuine pocket mode is on its way to Pixel phones, and it’s about time.
What you need to know
– A Google engineer has officially denoted the persistent accidental touch problem with Pixel phones as “resolved” in the company’s issue tracker.
– This addresses grievances going back to the Pixel 6, during which phones would initiate emergency calls or open applications while stowed away in pockets.
– The resolution was not part of the December update, indicating a launch in early 2026 or the forthcoming Feature Drop.
Numerous Pixel users are familiar with the irritation of extracting their phone from a pocket only to discover it has called someone, activated the flashlight, or launched applications on its own. After years of complaints, Google is finally indicating that a remedy is on the horizon, meaning Pixel owners may soon experience the end of the annoying pocket dialing.
This issue has persisted for quite some time, highlighting the significance of the forthcoming modification. Since the Pixel 6, users have frequently reported their devices registering touches while locked and tucked away in pockets.
Contrary to certain Android devices that depend on proximity sensors and motion data to prevent touch input when a phone is pocketed, Pixel devices were never equipped with a genuine accidental touch prevention or pocket mode.
As time progressed, the frustration increased in Reddit discussions and Google’s issue tracker. Owners recounted experiences of their phones dialing contacts unexpectedly or illuminating the screen just enough to register unintended touches.
The issue runs deep
For many, the most concerning aspect was unintentional emergency dialing—an issue that’s not merely irritating but potentially grave. Google has acknowledged this issue previously; however, substantive solutions never materialized, leading users to depend on workarounds like disabling gesture-based wake features and sacrificing convenience to prevent pocket-related mishaps.
Now, things are evolving. A Google engineer recently revised the official issue tracker, marked the accidental touch prevention flaw as “resolved,” and advised users to watch for upcoming software updates (via PiunikaWeb).
Although the company hasn’t officially announced the feature or elaborated on its operation, this status change strongly implies that Google has introduced a system-level solution that more effectively recognizes when a Pixel is in a pocket or confined space and accordingly dampens touch input.
This fix is not part of the December Pixel update, nor has it been surreptitiously rolled out via a server-side adjustment. Instead, it appears that it will be included in a future Android update or Pixel Feature Drop, potentially in early 2026.
