Google Pixel 6 Pro bug comes for one of the phone's best features

Google Pixel 6 Pro review
(Image credit: TechRadar)

*Update: Google has responded to the issue on Reddit, posting through its official account: "Starting today, we are rolling out a fix, so please update to the latest version of Google Photos (5.76.0.426251772 or higher) in the Play Store."*

Another month, another Google Pixel 6 Pro bug. If it seems like we've been writing countless stories about the Pixel 6 family breaking, it's because new bugs keep surfacing or being introduced, and this new one is a biggie. 

According to users on Reddit, the Magic Eraser function now causes the phone's Photos app to crash.

Obviously, this bug isn't affecting everyone, but a few commenters on the Reddit thread have all chimed in saying that they've faced it, and a writer for PhoneArena has noticed it too. So it seems a fair few people have been unable to use the Magic Eraser.

Nearly all the users who have noticed this issue are using the Pro model, for what it's worth, but there are one or two Pixel 6 users in the mix too. It seems this bug was introduced in a recent update in the first few days of February, though it joins an already incredibly long list of Pixel 6 problems.

The Magic Eraser tool lets you remove unwanted people or objects from the background of a photo - so if someone photobombs your cute Portrait picture, for example, you can banish them from your photographic history. 

It's one of the biggest selling points of the phone, featuring prominently in marketing and advertising, so the fact it's broken is quite embarrassing for Google.

It doesn't seem like there's a fix right now, but due to the high-profile nature of Magic Eraser, we hope Google is working on a software update that will quickly fix it.


Analysis: the unchanging image of the Pixel 6

The Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro could be compared to the video games made by developer Bethesda Games Studios.

The games are fantastic, but have a reputation for being incredibly buggy. Each time a new one is released, social media platforms become water coolers where people discuss and list all the various problems they've faced, including fixes when appropriate. 

Of course, not everyone faces every single bug, but play the game enough and you're bound to face a fair few. The same is true of the Pixel 6 series. 

We don't imagine anyone has bumped up against every single issue we've reported on, but it's likely that the pool of users who hadn't faced a single issue, is growing rather shallow. If you're in this crowd, you're lucky.

Soon the Pixel 6's worth will stop being a case of 'will I get a bug', and more 'will the bug I get, be something I can look past', and that's exactly what happens with Bethesda's games - you just have to hope the issues you face don't ruin the experience in a big way.

The quality of the underlying product can really affect how lenient you are on bugs - that's why so many people play games like Fallout and Skyrim, despite the number of issues - and the Google Pixel 6 fans still use the devices because they're great phones. 

We're growing tired of reporting on Google Pixel 6 problems, because we see new ones cropping up all the time, but the phones still have a large base of fans. This is probably because of the great product hidden underneath, with a good-looking screen and top cameras, and we'd need to see a really severe bug to change this.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.

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