Google Won't Fix Pixel 9 & 10 Speakerphone Bug

When you're trying to switch to speakerphone during an important call, the last thing you want is a button that won't respond. Yet that's exactly what thousands of Pixel 9 and 10 owners are dealing with right now. The speakerphone toggle in Google's Phone app experiences significant delays or completely fails to respond when tapped, according to Android Authority. What makes this particularly frustrating is that the issue stems from the app's newer interface rather than the hardware, as reported by Android Authority. And here's the kicker: Google has officially confirmed it won't be fixing this problem, Android Authority notes.

What can you actually do about it?

There are workarounds, even if they are not elegant. Rolling back to an older version of the Phone app can restore the button's snappiness, Android Authority notes. Some users sideload older versions and pause updates, a temporary fix at best, WebProNews explains.

Another trick, and a good one: toggle speakerphone from the call notification shade, not the full screen dialer, Android Police discovered. Pull down the shade during a call, tap the speaker icon, it responds immediately. That alone hints the notification path avoids the bottleneck that slows the in-call UI.

You can also try third-party dialer apps that do not exhibit this delay, Android Headlines suggests. And for quick muscle memory, some people say double clicking the speaker button improves reliability, according to WebProNews. Not perfect, but better than nothing.

PRO TIP: If you run into this bug a lot, use the notification shade speaker toggle instead of the in-call interface. It is a tiny habit change that saves headaches during high stakes calls.

The bigger picture: what this means for Pixel users

This episode says a lot about Google's software support on its flagship phones. The Pixel 10 lineup earns praise for AI features and polish, Android Headlines notes, yet the basics of calling should never wobble.

Choosing not to fix a core function raises tough questions about development priorities and quality assurance. People who paid for premium devices expect reliable, everyday performance. The speakerphone toggle is a simple, daily tool, useful for hands free chats in the car or quick multitasking at your desk.

And this is not some cosmic edge case. It is a straightforward responsiveness issue that should be rock solid. The fact that workarounds exist, like the notification shade toggle, shows the audio pipeline works. The stumble sits in the Phone app's interface.

Bottom line: if you own a Pixel 9 or 10 and you hit this problem, you are living with workarounds for a while. Google can move quickly on serious failures like emergency calling. A laggy speaker button, apparently, does not get the same treatment. It feels like beta testing on a phone you bought at full price, with a quiet nudge to adapt to the software instead of the software adapting to you.