Google is investigating reports of its Pixel 7 and 6 series smartphones crashing when playing a specific YouTube video that includes an alien image. The issue has also been reported with the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 6a.
The video in question appears to show a person dressed in an alien costume with strobe lighting effects, and reportedly causes the affected Pixel devices to freeze and eventually crash, requiring a hard reset to fix the issue.
Google has acknowledged the reports and issued a statement saying it is aware of the problem and is investigating it. The company has also advised users who have experienced the issue to report it to their support team and to provide feedback through the built-in feedback tool in their devices.
It is not yet clear what is causing the issue, but some users speculate that it could be related to the strobe lighting effects used in the video, which could trigger a photosensitive seizure. Others have suggested that it could be related to the video’s codec or the device’s video player software.
Regardless of the cause, this is not the first time a specific video has caused issues with smartphones. In 2018, a video that included a black dot on a white background caused iPhones to crash, and in 2020, a video with a hidden code caused some Android phones to crash as well.
While Google works on resolving the issue, Pixel users are advised to avoid playing the specific video in question or to turn off auto-play on YouTube to prevent the video from playing automatically. As always, it is important to stay vigilant when it comes to online content, as unexpected issues can arise at any time.
