Google began rolling out Android 11 to all supported Pixel phones on September 8, bringing a bunch of new features such as message bubbles, notifications improvements, Pixel-specific additions such as Live View and Location Sharing in Maps, and much more. However, a few Pixel users that upgraded to Android 11 have begun reporting issues with the recent apps view.
The issue is with the phone not responding as expected to the swipe up gesture to navigate to the task switcher. In some cases, the screen freezes for a few seconds before responding, while in others, users see a blank screen. We can confirm the lag, as one of our devices too exhibits the issue where the screen takes a brief pause before opening the recent apps screen. There are multiple other reports on Reddit that suggest that more users are seeing the delay. Users in another Reddit thread could get the recent apps view to work by restarting their devices, but it seems to be a hit and miss.
Pixel owners have also taken to Google’s support forums to highlight the issue. The problem seems to be affecting people with Pixel 3 and Pixel 4 phones. The poster adds that they are unable to scroll between open apps or force shut apps without heading into the settings. While the issue does seem to be sporadic, more reports have begun flowing in the last couple of days. Another forum post entry suggested that booting into and out of safe mode fixed the issue.
While Google is yet to acknowledge the issue, it will be interesting to keep an eye on the forums to see if more users begin reporting the problem.
Are you experiencing issues or slowdowns when accessing the recent apps menu? Let us know in the comments below!