One of the stranger (and more innocuous) issues with the Pixel 2 has been an inconsistently bothersome "clicking" or "hissing" noise when holding the phone up to your ear for a phone call. Some people have it, others don't, and those who do often don't hear it consistently. Well, now Google has identified the actual issue and said a fix is on the way.
The issue, it turns out, is simple: it's the NFC radio in the phone. A fix will roll out via a software update in a few weeks, addressing the problem on a system level. But Google says that in the meantime, turning off NFC will get rid of the issue. Annoying for sure, but great to know there's something we can do right away to stop it before the full fix hits phones.
This surely isn't a software change on the level of the Pixel 2 XL's display, but it sure is something that's annoying if you're experiencing it and great to see Google addressing it quickly.
Andrew was an Executive Editor, U.S. at Android Central between 2012 and 2020.
